The Beast

https://x.com/dave_bfr/status/1736522495677616568?s=20

I’m becoming more convinced that they will move on from Fields now unless Poles wants more pieces. However, I still don’t care for Getsy’s offense and think Eberflus should have had Santos attempt the long field goal today. Something to watch is the Panthers win today. I wonder if the first pick in the draft is in doubt. We’ll see how the final weeks play out. If Caleb Williams returns to USC, I will be curious if they draft Maye or trade down. There’s still more things that could change their plans.

I don’t know if the rules indicate there has to be a warning given before being called for a penalty. Even if they warn players, it was late in the game. If KC was on defense and Buffalo scored the touchdown, KC would want that call. I see nothing wrong with the call. As for Fields, I still think they need to build around him. Williams and Maye haven’t sold me and I’m not seeing something that is “can’t miss” about them. I also don’t know if Williams will enter the NFL draft or if he will play for Chicago if he is drafted. My text thread isn’t on board with replacing Fields. Texter 1 (an Ohio State alum): So after yesterday's Bears game I'm even more convinced taking a QB would be the absolute wrong move. Build around Fields. Give him a guy like Marvin Harrison Jr to throw to opposite DJ Moore. If Fields ain't the guy by the time his rookie contract is up then you draft a QB. The talent is there. Build around it. Texter 2 (a Penn State alum): Yup, MHJr with the Panthers pick and best OL available with their pick. Texter 1: Exactly. Then if you have to grab a new QB in a few years, he gets to develop around a ton of talent. But there's also a reality where the extra talent keeps Fields healthy (OL) and elevates his play so they can put it all together. QB carousel is the dumb dumb move. Texter 3: I agree with that assessment, Texter 1. The Bears need to either pick MHJr or trade the pick to some team and continue building draft capital, then pick a WR and an OL. I want Poles to put his money where his mouth is and start building more in the trenches. I'm so sick of the QB carousel and want Fields to succeed. Even when he fucked up in the Minnesota game I wanted him to succeed. Recall that the stakes are high with number one overall picks. Ryan Leaf CAN happen. Lance did not succeed and neither did Trubisky. You can always pick a QB in the mid round or trade assets to move up. I'm also not convinced Williams is as good as people believe him to be and I think he's kind of got some weird entitlement issues. Texter 4 in an unrelated thread during the Minnesota game: They don't let him rip because out of 10 passes downfield, he may make 1 or 2! He overthrows receivers too often. His numbers don't look that bad because he makes 15-20 passes a game less than 5 yards. You think he gets one play off before he fumbles it or throws a int?

Are you where Chris Tannehill is at or where Laurence Holmes is at?

Understood. I guess I don’t understand where resources have gone when they have signed Asian players in the past. I always thought players from overseas were productive for the teams they played for, particularly Iguchi for the White Sox. Your point is probably right, it’s probably just not a focus of the Reinsdorf ownership group and won’t be given the organization’s makeup. I just didn’t fully grasp the rules of signing international players.

I’ll place a bet that it will be below 5.00. What I’m trying to understand is how they got Takatsu and Iguchi and haven’t had much luck since. Do Asian players not hit the open market as much, or do they need to be subjected to meeting the posting fee and international slot money, which the Sox won’t pay?

Thanks for sharing. I’m curious about Jac Caglianone. I can hear the Score callers grave dancing now. Maybe he’s got some potential pitching. Who knows. He was fun to watch before he got hurt and was traded.

McKnight would also be a good story. He gets let go from the Score during the early part of Covid, lands on his feet with pre and post at AM 1000, gets expanded responsibilities with play by play and then could be the TV play by play. He would be great at it.

Working out at the gym and a new baby due in February. Hanging with family, friends and my wife and son until then.

Why does that matter?

Two games at whatever seats I can buy in the $25-$40 per ticket range. One parking pass. Tailgating outside of the park and whatever my wife wants at concessions.

My vote is for Connor McKnight, he was fine when he filled in. After he got screwed over by the Score during the pandemic, I wanted him to recover. He did and I’d love it if he advanced to the PBP job. It’s likely going to be Monaco though.

My favorite sound when I turn on AM 1000s game is the intense sound of Len’s voice saying “White Sox win!!!” Reminds me of the great radio calls from the 2005 season and playoffs.

Len better stay in radio and they better find someone else for TV. Boyer said it, but I want them to see that statement through.

I understand that they needed to make some tough choices with Hendriks and Anderson. I am concerned that even with the money saved from those moves (even if Hendriks’ money was spread out over time), they will not make moves necessary this offseason to improve the team’s outlook. I don’t really know what their goal is going to be even if JR isn’t calling this a rebuild.

Hopefully Fields gets the ball the rest of the way. I have seen enough of the Bagent experience and want to get a better sense of needs headed into 2024 and want to see how Fields finishes out the year.

Dane Dunning and Marcus Semien are World Series champions. Let that set in.

"If you don't want to coach Justin Fields, if that's too much for you, if you can't handle him, then you suck as a coach," Bernstein says.

Houston loses to Carolina on a field goal after going ahead with 0:35 left to play. Dang.

Dan Bernstein going off on callers over Ryne Sandburg and Josh McCown pronunciations is priceless.

Fans also wanted Hanie over Cutler at one point too.

Hopefully Williams is generational. I have often wanted to know what Bears fans really expected out of a QB. When it was Cutler it seemed like they wanted Peyton Manning. When it was Trubisky they wanted Mahomes. When it is Fields it is Williams. I would be surprised if Fields is dealt since he’s under contract another year unless he comes at a discounted price and they bring in some bum to start over Williams until he is ready to start. If they do have two top picks and select Williams, I hope like hell that they pick a pass rusher or get a tackle. They still need linemen if they go QB. Do what the Texans did with Will Anderson and C.J. Stroud.

How do we know that Fields isn’t their guy and that they are going to give him one more year at quarterback? Should they trade him if he’s not in the plans and they draft Williams? So what are they going to do with Fields? What if Williams is drafted and we have the same mediocrity we have had for what seems like forever since Smith left? That’s not what I said. I was talking collectively about depth, specifically in the trenches. Yep. I’m most concerned with the lack of depth on the offensive and defensive lines. As a team, something is wrong with them and I don’t think it’s primarily Fields. I don’t know if it is coaching, play calling, depth issues or something else. It’s hard to put my finger on it. Maybe Poles will select Williams but I am concerned that they’ll end up in a similar spot to where they are now. However maybe Williams IS the guy and the Bears end up like Kansas City. There are lots of unknowns. If that’s the direction that they take, I hope you are both right and they end up like KC after they took Mahomes instead of the Bears with how bad they’ve been since Smith was gone.

This is where I am at but the QB. There are so many holes on this team that I can’t justify drafting another one high when Fields is around. I may not be a Williams fan yet, but even if Fields holds the ball long enough, I see so many positions that need more, like OL, DE, FS, WR and HB. I thought Poles was going to build the line out and have a team that would win at the trenches. I haven’t seen that yet.

Here are five takes on the bolded from four different people in my text thread of friends. First person, first take: As a Bears fan, I am trying to understand what lift they would get from drafting Williams first overall (if Carolina is the top pick). They have Fields for another year at a minimum. The only way I would say to draft him if he's a generational talent and they can get something of value for Fields. They have other needs than the quarterback. Mock drafts seem to have a hard on for Williams at 1 and Harrison Jr. at 2, both to the Bears. When I know they need more help in the trenches and depending on what they got for the number one pick, I would be inclined to trade it again for more picks. Second person: It depends on how Fields continues to play. If it were me and as long as Fields doesn't regress if I had the number 1 pick, I would trade it down for more picks. Then, my focus would be getting depth at the OL, Edge, Free Safety, interior DL, and WR. This is kind of what I hope Poles does. It depends on where they fall in the draft, what players are available, and who they can pick up in free agency. I did think the OL did very well against a hard Washington DL Thursday night, so that is a step in the right direction, and Jenkins at the left guard looked good in the run game. I hope we can have more wins like that this season and more consistency in there play. Third person: If the bears have 2 top 5 picks and they don't draft at least 1 lineman, then they will continue to earn top 10 picks for a few more years. Fourth person: To me it seems like a slam dunk to trade down for more assets to build around Fields. First person, second take: I'm with the line of thinking second person has, if Fields is competent and had games like he's had over the last two, I think they need to trade down and build around Fields. There are so many needs on this team besides QB and I think they should let another team pick the next QB at and raid another team for picks. That way they have more assets in the future and aren't barren of draft assets like they were in the Pace years with the Trubisky, Fields and Mack trades. Poles has to understand that he needs more talent up front especially on defense.