Sports Illustrated projects the Chicago Bears hit their rock bottom in new power rankings

Bearly

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From a talent standpoint, yea we got worse. Robinson still got paid $15 mil to Pringle's $6. No doubt he's still thought more highly of in NFL circles than anyone else we picked up. I'm not worried about Pringle replacing Robinson's production from last year but that shouldn't be the bar to clear.


Daniels got paid twice as much as Patrick did. So while we can look at it as a body-for-body switch on the starting unit, it might not actually work out that way in terms of quality. And that trade just switched the hole on the line from C to RG so we're still wondering exactly who will fill that, hoping a 6th round rookie can.

To use your argument from above, Jason Peters held down the LT spot in a pinch quite well. He's old but a former pro-bowler and one of the best to ever play the position (in his prime). We didn't anticipate him being the LT at this point of last offseason but it happened and surprisingly worked out for much of the season. It appears Jenkins will be manning the right side but it remains to be seen if he can be as good as we hope. The clubhouse leader to take the LT spot right now is second-year 5th rounder Larry Borom to be challenged by rookie 5th rounder Braxton Jones. Lots of uncertainty there despite us feeling fairly good about the young guys we have.

Plus, when we say we got worse talent-wise, we have to consider that within relation to the rest of the league. Without a first rounder, we added less premium talent than most other teams, especially when considering how we didn't add any bigger-name free agents either. I agree with the approach Poles took this offseason and am glad he didn't break the bank for any free agents but that simultaneously means we've got a lot of stop gaps for the time being until they prove otherwise on the field. At best, our talent level remained fairly even, but I've never been considering the talent as a reason for why we'll get/look better. That's all about the coaching.
Hard to say WTF is actually happening but I can't disagree either. Going into this year Jenkins was our best LT but this staff may prefer the slam dunk he may represent at RT and find their next LT. If Borom starts there, expect him to get a lot of help from Kmet and scheme on critical passing downs.
 

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Honestly flashbacks of Lovie/Angelo where the offensive skill positions are undervalued. I just don’t want to get 25% into the season and they start making excuses about talent not living up to their projections. Shits gonna get ugly if they are getting fields hurt because of lack of talent on offense and him having to do too much.
 

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“This could get scary.”
I agree with the assessment 100%.

Say what you will about Nagy X’s and O’s but somehow he got total team buy-in. Both offense and defense.

Sadly the offense didn’t know how to be unpredictable OR versatile despite the right theory.

I’ll never get that. Why we were tipping our pitches when the entire offense is predicated on not doing so.

But the only thing standing between us and the bottom right now is Justin Fields.

He will have to be very good to win 5 or 6 games. Great for more, and if he’s on the Robert Griffin timeline we are completely fucked.

I just hope it isn’t so bad we lose a great QB out of it because I see the reasons Fields will be great in a few years.
 
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Visionman

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I agree with the assessment 100%.

Say what you will about Nagy X’s and O’s but somehow he got total team buy-in. Both offense and defense.

Sadly the offense didn’t know how to be unpredictable OR versatile despite the right theory.

I’ll never get that. Why we were tipping our pitches when the entire offense is predicated on not doing so.

But the only thing standing between us and the bottom right now is Justin Fields.

He will have to be very good to win 5 or 6 games. Great for more, and if he’s on the Robert Griffin timeline we are completely fucked.

I just hope it isn’t so bad we lose a great QB out of it because I see the reasons Fields will be great in a few years.
Robinson was so “bought in” to Nagy’s system we didn’t even see him last year. Meanwhile, you had Foles‘ hot takes on the sideline saying how Nagy’s offense didn’t work. You had an offense and defense pretty much phoning it in by mid season…

Are you sure you remember correctly?
 

Canth

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I agree with the assessment 100%.

Say what you will about Nagy X’s and O’s but somehow he got total team buy-in. Both offense and defense.

Sadly the offense didn’t know how to be unpredictable OR versatile despite the right theory.

I’ll never get that. Why we were tipping our pitches when the entire offense is predicated on not doing so.

But the only thing standing between us and the bottom right now is Justin Fields.

He will have to be very good to win 5 or 6 games. Great for more, and if he’s on the Robert Griffin timeline we are completely fucked.

I just hope it isn’t so bad we lose a great QB out of it because I see the reasons Fields will be great in a few years.

That was probably true in 2018. The farther they got away from 2018, you could see the team drifting away from him. And especially by last year, it was obvious he did not have total team buy-in.
 

ThatGuyRyan

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For a year or 2.
You mean like the past 15?
I agree with the assessment 100%.

Say what you will about Nagy X’s and O’s but somehow he got total team buy-in. Both offense and defense.

Sadly the offense didn’t know how to be unpredictable OR versatile despite the right theory.

I’ll never get that. Why we were tipping our pitches when the entire offense is predicated on not doing so.

But the only thing standing between us and the bottom right now is Justin Fields.

He will have to be very good to win 5 or 6 games. Great for more, and if he’s on the Robert Griffin timeline we are completely fucked.

I just hope it isn’t so bad we lose a great QB out of it because I see the reasons Fields will be great in a few years.
Except he didn’t.
 

airtime143

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Because they're the team that was 3 points away from the SB and Garoppolo had a hand in throwing away the 49ers chances in that tight championship game. The 9ers shopping Jimmy would indicate that they feel Trey is ready. Garoppolo is a league bottom 1/2 QB by any standard so Trey won't need to shine for them to still be VG. If you're simply taking a nothing proven approach, what indicators say that Justin is ready?

I may be a Bear fan but I won't rationalize away what's staring me in the face. Any given Sunday and the season is still far away and all that but the line in that game will not be favorable.

Yeah- i can't see a possible drop-off for the nines going from Jimmy g to Lance.

All they needed to beat green bay at home was someone with a pulse and minimal usage of their hands... and Jimmy almost didn't meet those qualifications.
 

Bearly

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I’m saying that we’ve been living in the high-20s for 15 years
Since 2008, we've had 3 picks in the bottom 3rd (11) and 5 in the top 3rd of the draft.
 

Canth

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Since 2008, we've had 3 picks in the bottom 3rd (11) and 5 in the top 3rd of the draft.

Some of the numbers get skewed too due the various trades. In that timeframe, the Bears have traded away 5 1st round picks for Cutler, Mack, and Fields.

So, in the last 15 drafts:

1A) Five 1st round picks were gone in trades for 3 players - Fields in the only player still on the team from those trades.
1B) Four picks were in the top 10 (all by Pace and all in a row). Of those 4, only Roquan is still on the team.
1C) There were five additional picks in the top 20 (ie 11-20). Fields is again the only player still on the team from that group. And even if you wanted to look at the trade for Mack accounting in there - he is now gone too.
1D) And so, in the last 15 drafts, the Bears only had 1 pick in the bottom third of the round and that was Gabe Carimi in 2011.

It doesn't get a whole lot better when you add in the 2nd round, but there is more there:
2A) Cody Whitehair is the only 2nd rounder still on the team from before the 2020 draft either due to trades or players not working out
2B) There are five 2nd round players on the team from 2020-2022 drafts (JJ, Kmet, Jenkins, Gordon, Brisker), so 3 DB's, a TE, and an OT.

3rd Round:
They have exactly two players projected to be on the 2022 team that they drafted in the 3rd round in the last 15 drafts: Velus Jones and David Montgomery. Funny enough, they are also the only two 3rd round selections made since 2017. This is one area where Pace really screwed the team. He traded away so many 3rd round picks.

So, to summarize for the projected 2022 roster for their own draft picks:
1st round picks: 2
2nd round picks: 6
3rd round picks: 2

Cody Whitehair is the only one of that group on a 2nd contract. All the rest are still on rookie contracts with Roquan and Montgomery being FA after 2022. And no one would be surprised if Whitehair is also gone after 2022.

Pretty easy to see why they have talent deficiencies and little depth when you have so few of your own Day 1-3 picks on the roster.

Info from:
 

Bearly

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Some of the numbers get skewed too due the various trades. In that timeframe, the Bears have traded away 5 1st round picks for Cutler, Mack, and Fields.

So, in the last 15 drafts:

1A) Five 1st round picks were gone in trades for 3 players - Fields in the only player still on the team from those trades.
1B) Four picks were in the top 10 (all by Pace and all in a row). Of those 4, only Roquan is still on the team.
1C) There were five additional picks in the top 20 (ie 11-20). Fields is again the only player still on the team from that group. And even if you wanted to look at the trade for Mack accounting in there - he is now gone too.
1D) And so, in the last 15 drafts, the Bears only had 1 pick in the bottom third of the round and that was Gabe Carimi in 2011.

It doesn't get a whole lot better when you add in the 2nd round, but there is more there:
2A) Cody Whitehair is the only 2nd rounder still on the team from before the 2020 draft either due to trades or players not working out
2B) There are five 2nd round players on the team from 2020-2022 drafts (JJ, Kmet, Jenkins, Gordon, Brisker), so 3 DB's, a TE, and an OT.

3rd Round:
They have exactly two players projected to be on the 2022 team that they drafted in the 3rd round in the last 15 drafts: Velus Jones and David Montgomery. Funny enough, they are also the only two 3rd round selections made since 2017. This is one area where Pace really screwed the team. He traded away so many 3rd round picks.

So, to summarize for the projected 2022 roster for their own draft picks:
1st round picks: 2
2nd round picks: 6
3rd round picks: 2

Cody Whitehair is the only one of that group on a 2nd contract. All the rest are still on rookie contracts with Roquan and Montgomery being FA after 2022. And no one would be surprised if Whitehair is also gone after 2022.

Pretty easy to see why they have talent deficiencies and little depth when you have so few of your own Day 1-3 picks on the roster.

Info from:
All true and useful but tangental to the previous.
 

MDB111™

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I agree with the assessment 100%.

Say what you will about Nagy X’s and O’s but somehow he got total team buy-in. Both offense and defense.

Sadly the offense didn’t know how to be unpredictable OR versatile despite the right theory.

I’ll never get that. Why we were tipping our pitches when the entire offense is predicated on not doing so.

But the only thing standing between us and the bottom right now is Justin Fields.

He will have to be very good to win 5 or 6 games. Great for more, and if he’s on the Robert Griffin timeline we are completely fucked.

I just hope it isn’t so bad we lose a great QB out of it because I see the reasons Fields will be great in a few years.


RG3 got hurt. And he was never a pocket passer.
Fields isn't comparable to that guy IMO. Unless you are just comparing two black QBs. But I don't think you are. You are smarter than that.
 

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