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msadows
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people expecting miracles after poles was tasked with creating a complete teardown and worst roster in the NFL.
The roster as currently constructed has very few holes. Depth can be better, but as far as starters if caleb takes a step they can compete with every team in this division. There is a lot of talent on this roster, now they need to translate that talent to production on the field.
You put this coaching staff with the roster from 2024 and they likely win 8-9 games. The offense alone would have been much better with an actual logical scheme in place for routes/blocking.
SugarWalls
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This isn’t necessarily wrong, but I have had huge issue with the way poles has reconstructed the roster.
Huge investment in the secondary while largely ignoring the DL in FA. Mostly ignoring the OL before this off season where massive upgrades were finally made.
Hopefully this years additions lead to a big turn for the bears, but up to this point he simply hasn’t done a good job with the roster and coaching staff
msadows
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The GM's typically build the roster based on who their head coach is and what they want.
If we hired an offensive mind in 2022 you would not have seen a bunch of DB's drafted. Flus was a major reason they invested in linebacker/db
Just like you saw the bears heavily invest in OL/Receiver this draft because of big johnson.
My biggest issue with poles is the fact he did not fire flus last offseason, but we dont know if that was even an option. Its very likely that ginny/george did not give him the opportunity to do so.
The way the bears do things is just so backwards. They basically gave poles the option of like 3-4 coaches when he was hired, flus was already a finalist before poles even got the job.
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SugarWalls
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So flus was opposed to DL? What defensive coach is opposed to pass rush? Pretty sure his entire scheme is predicated on not blitzing and being able to generate pressure with the front 4.
I wasnt terribly upset to let roquan go but they went and used the majority of that cap space on Tremaine Edmunds. Never made sense at the time and it still doesn’t. I also think the argument that Edward’s and Edmund’s are better than roquan is irrelevant. As good as tj has been, Tremaine has not in anyway lived up to his contract.
Plenty of failed additions on offense we don’t need to even mention as well …. Can’t blame those away on the former HC
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It seems that all Poles needs to do next year is draft DL, LB and S. Can really be a defensive focused draft if all goes well on the offensive side of the ball this year.
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I think that is where Scott may be pinched in numbers game.
He is sitting behind Burden and Zameechus as #3 slot.
Now they may view Burden as more versatile...but Scott is up against it.
The others are better special teams candidates, better blockers, and better back-ups were Moore/Odunze to miss time.
The caveat and joker card is really Ben Johnson.
With lack of quality depth at running back and no scat back, where Oz might be that guy, if coach sees a role and need for depth with Scott it's his show and we all defer.
Glad Poles will not be making that particular call.
Canth
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They used a high 2nd round pick to trade for Sweat and gave him a new contract, spent another 2nd on Dexter, a 3rd on Pickens, and traded up a year for Booker. They also brought in Jones and Walker, had the weird failed signing Ogunjobi, extended Billings, there was the 1 year deal with Ngakoue.
It's legit to say they got the evaluations wrong, but it's not like Poles did not try to address the DL at all for Eberflus. And I go back to coaching input and development as not being helpful for any of that either. Not to say that exonerates Poles, but it does make him look worse than he probably is/was.
SugarWalls
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Poles addressed the DL in a sense that they need to field a football team so of course they have players at those positions.
Sweat is definitely high draft capital used and I’ll throw Dexter into that.
No way you are going to use yannick or a 5th round pick in booker as evidence that poles ‘addressed the dl’ lmao
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Guaranteeing rookie contracts doesn't change significantly how much can be given to vets. The number of 2nd round picks cut before the end of their rookie contract is fairly minimal.
Canth
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As I said, I think it is completely legit to question the evaluations.
This goes back to the point that the Eberflus coaching staff sucked as you would think they have input on those acquisitions and saying they could make it be at least serviceable with them. Or that they could develop the guys drafted and I think the evidence speaks for itself that Eberflus and his coaches did not really seem to know how to develop anyone.
Runruffshod75
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The first two picks got their fully guaranteed contracts.
Not only that but second round players have caught on that GMs view second round picks as the new gold, and they are the new for GMs that draft well, and GMs that think they draft well.
Not only that but second round players have caught on that GMs view second round picks as the new gold, and they are the new for GMs that draft well, and GMs that think they draft well.
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DanielCCSBears
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I'm curious how some on this board have gone from quotes similar to:
"This is a bad offensive tackle class where you're probably not going to find a starter. All of the top guys like Campbell, Banks Membou etc are probably all better suited for guard."
To
"The Bears might have found a decent starting LT for the next 10 years in Ozzy Trapilo."
How did we get to the 8th best prospect is a possible starter from none of the top-5 guys are possible starters.
"This is a bad offensive tackle class where you're probably not going to find a starter. All of the top guys like Campbell, Banks Membou etc are probably all better suited for guard."
To
"The Bears might have found a decent starting LT for the next 10 years in Ozzy Trapilo."
How did we get to the 8th best prospect is a possible starter from none of the top-5 guys are possible starters.
Washington
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Not everyone felt that way. Some people questioned Campbell due to his arm length. I personally wanted Banks and so did many others knowing Membou would not fall to them. There were questions on Membou being a LT but nobody thought he would be better at guard. Simmons scared teams due to his injury but no question, if healthy, he'd be a solid LT. I think you are sort of making a strawman argument to fit your narrative.
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Pretty sure the argument was more that LT was weak at top of the draft and there wasnt much difference between say the 4th best T and the 10th best.
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I personally NEVER said the top FIVE LT were unstartable. I liked QUITE a few of them. If I"m honest, I had NO IDEA who Ozzy was, but we're not the NFL, we don't have the info they do, and I trust Ben until he proves to be untrustworthy. I think Ozzy is a beast, from what he said. I honestly feel that he, Loveland, and Burden will all be VG starters, and sooner than later.
DanielCCSBears
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This wasn't a Ben Johnson pick this was Ryan Poles pick. This was his guy from Boston College. In the draft phone call Poles says to him "Hey did you know our dad's were on the same team together at BC?"
This was a Ryan Poles fawning over one of his guys that he had a personal connection to and picking him. This is a typical Ryan Poles type move where he has a personal connection to the guy and he thinks he can better judge them as a player because of it.
msadows
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There was literally one other tackle available in that range
--CyBear--
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If I told you that we had those guys and still went 6-10, you'd think I was already high. I'm no hater and take whatever stance you like but by year 3, 6-10 is FAR from stellar and team record is where the buck stops with GMs. I have good ideas why that happened but any and all of them will relate to a GM's choices. I like just about everything he's done so far this year and I genuinely like his demeanor and openness but he'd be the 1st guy to tell you that he (the team) needs to do better. I was not a fire Poles guy but to ignore how badly this team failed in his 3rd year, when things should be showing signs of success is wearing blinders.
It's all worked out but consider that he had an opportunity to sign Ben Johnson before last year and decided to keep instead of flush the Flus like Warren and Cunningham advised. Thank God BJ still wanted the Bear.
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