Diehardfan
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Yep. He's got a team around him, Fields was given shit. Plus he's "generational"....the next Mahomes.
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Because you expected gradual progression and a bigger leap from year 2 to 3 from one and the other is going to be a rookie. The only people thinking the team is going to hold Caleb to some ridiculous standards is fans upset that they moved on from Fields. The hint should have been when they changed the coordinator and half the offensive staff that they weren't giving Fields another offense to learn.
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My favorite teams
This sounds like he's clearly their #1 QB.
"I believe the Chicago Bears’ plan at quarterback will crystallize soon, and the winds of change are blowing. There’s some tea-leaf reading we can do here. Until this weekend, the Bears had planned to bring USC’s Caleb Williams to Chicago for his Top 30 visit Tuesday, fresh off the combine. That is extraordinarily early—most teams don’t even start with 30 visits until the end of March or beginning of April, when pro days are wrapping up."
The idea was pretty simple. Chicago wanted to check some final boxes before finalizing its plan at quarterback before free agency starts next week. In the end, Williams and the team decided to move things around: Rather than shuttling the quarterback to and from California again, in the midst of preparations for his March 20 pro day, the Bears will host Williams in Chicago shortly after that instead.
But the idea alone tells you plenty about where the team is.
And so living in this unideal world, with a tighter timeline as a result, the Bears have been aggressive in getting answers on Williams, who they see as a unique talent that has separated himself from the rest of the quarterbacks. It started, really, right when the season ended, with the team brass having an honest conversation with Fields about the unique position they were in—carrying the first pick after finishing the season strong, thanks to last year’s deal that sent the 2023 first pick off to the Carolina Panthers.
After that …
• In dispatching his scouts to all-star games, Poles directed evaluators to ask about the 2022 Heisman winner when they interviewed Oklahoma or USC players, or others that crossed paths with Williams. The returns there were good. Sometimes, you can get awkward pauses, if players are lukewarm on teammates they’re asked about. It was the opposite in this case. The mention of Williams’s name brought about a lot of smiles.
• In interviewing then USC assistant Kliff Kingsbury for their offensive coordinator job in Los Angeles in January, the Bears did a ton of fact-finding. Kingsbury described a player beloved by his coaches and teammates, and also gave the Bears very real insight into Williams’s father, and how involved he was. The quarterback’s dad, Kingsbury told them, was sharp, and someone that Williams leaned on a lot business-wise. But the father left the football part to his kid; Kingsbury explained to Chicago he saw the dad maybe once last year at USC’s practice facility.
That left the Bears to come to Indianapolis for the combine to move into the final stages of the process of firming up their quarterback plan.
On Wednesday night at 10:40 p.m. (the second-to-last window of the night), Chicago had its formal interview with Williams in the suites of Lucas Oil Stadium. Poles was joined by the five people who are the point men in the Williams evaluations process: head coach Matt Eberflus, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, pass-game coordinator Thomas Brown, assistant GM Ian Cunningham and team president Kevin Warren.
What they saw from Williams in that setting was an easy confidence, a player who was very comfortable in his own skin and not concerned much with what other people thought of him. That last part is key, because the Bears have tried to drill down on making sure the person they pick first can handle the pressure and spotlight of the Chicago market.
Williams checked that box. The next one came Friday night, when the Bears brass got a chance to sit down and meet with the quarterback’s team, as a precursor to the 30 visit.
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Also (to me) sounds like Fields won’t be traded until after free agency starts a bit. Need to see where Mayfield and Cousins land.
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Luke
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next week can't come soon enough!
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If they wait until medicals and pro day this could be a couple more weeks. Gird your loins fellas.
Luke
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I doubt they wait until the meds. Fields will be gone next week and FA signings will be announced too.
gonna be action packed.
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Brownie
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Well we're ready to win now. We've been told that JF is a bottom of the league QB and CW is generational and a better QB than JF. If that's the case, (rookie or not) the expectation that we will be a better team wins-wise next season should be the floor, imo. Especially given the opportunity cost.
With the narratives being thrown out, I don't think actually being a better QB stats-wise and in win total is a "ridiculous standard" for CW. That's what he would be drafted No. 1 overall to come in and do.
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People who want to keep Fields: “ He was turning it around! We saw glimpses after the injury! Just give him one more year!”
The same people: “Fucking Caleb better WIN NOW!!!”
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The whole medical thing is something I hadn't thought about. I guess moving on from Fields entirely would be a little tougher not having Caleb's medicals.
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He told his truth . . . so brave . . .
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Brownie
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Isn't CW better? I was told he was a shoe-in for multiple TD passes against GB this year (fact).People who want to keep Fields: “ He was turning it around! We saw glimpses after the injury! Just give him one more year!”
The same people: “Fucking Caleb better WIN NOW!!!”
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I mean I can understand that. "They" probably feel like Fields can win this year. I personally feel like he can but won't have unreasonable expectations for CW at the same timePeople who want to keep Fields: “ He was turning it around! We saw glimpses after the injury! Just give him one more year!”
The same people: “Fucking Caleb better WIN NOW!!!”
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I think he will be long term. But rookies are still rookies. No matter where they’re drafted.
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A Super Bowl? Or just eek into the playoffs? This is a 10-15 year decision. Not just about next year.
Brownie
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