But we both get that was entirely the point right. As you say the alternative was another hole was created on the D-Line or one at CB or TE. They had a guy who'd played more snaps than any other DL on the team last season and he was completely out of contract. They didn't feel strong enough to offer a long term deal(something i think we both agree with) but they had the RFA option open to them. The only choices the Bears had with that were either a 2nd round tender or original round tender. RRH went undrafted, if the Bears had used that tender i guarantee you RRH was gone because another team would've come in for him. They've also sunk too much development time into him to let any of this happen, it would just be terrible roster management. I rip the team plenty but they've handled the RRH situation exactly right. They needed another year to look at him and they got another year. If his play is good they'll have the issue of trying to keep him from FA next year, but there was no other way. If he's bad he's gone in all likelyhood. This is a fair point about the other options you mention, but as i say, they've got a guy in house they've been developing who's shown flashes of really good play. He's far more of a known quantity than these guys re the Bears and for say half a mil i can understand the thinking of going with RRH. Lynch had already been in the league like 4-5years before the Bears signed him. A better comparison might be Kwitkowski who was another draft and develop type. A year ago we had nothing much to say about him did we then 2019 happened.
It just seems a lengthy explanation to keep a guy who was a bum. It also seems like Pace outschemed himself. Losing RRH wouldn't be a big blow to this defense had the 2nd round tender not have been put on. Yes, another team probably picks him up. They had limited options as you mention, and I'm not saying its right/wrong in the name of keeping a guy another year (this may be apples/oranges--but under JA and Lovie in the early/mid 2000s we had Mark Anderson, who was brilliant in his rookie year then tailed off the following year before he sucked the remainder of his time here--but the bears gave him 4 years before they upgraded to Julius Peppers). I'm also aware coaches like "their guys" and those guys tend to stay on a roster. If I wanted to contest it would be heavy nitpicking the minutia. If Chuck Pagano wanted him another year to see/maximize something he saw, me thinking he should be an easy cut is pointless. Like Josh Bellamy and Marquess Wilson were to Fox/Frodo. They didn't produce, barely saw time on the field, flashed for a split-second, dropped a shit ton of passes in critical moments of a game...yet kept making the roster when we all kept wondering why. Agree to disagree. Clayborne, though 32 now, was a solid disruptor for a long time in Atlanta. Wolfe got injured for Denver and they weren't going to keep on paying him 6+ mil a year with no guaranteed $ left. He too has a history of being a consistent disruptor. Ward was screwed in Oakland before he looked solid in Indy with an average unit around him and is younger than both Wolfe and Clayborne. We've opined a lot about Nagy/Pace being on the hotseat this year. IMO, banking on the home grown guy who flashed 1 game last year while otherwise being invisible after some good ones in 2018 isn't the best option if you're coaching/general managing a team to keep a job after this season. If I'm coaching/constructing a team to save my job, give me the cheaper (even if its 500k to 1 and change mil) but known commodity as opposed to the question mark. You mention a make/break year for the guy; so both options are short term and as pointed out with the draft--TE and CB were bigger needs with the higher picks, meaning when your defense has holes in it and you have a GM that gets his jollies off by trading tons of picks to move up all the fucking time, FA has to be where you plug in holes. Edge was a problem with this defense too, not just 5 tech. Pace addressed Leonard Floyd's level of being a bum, but not RRH. Floyd would have gotten 13.2 mil this year. Quinn is getting 14 mil (before guaranteed bonuses). Pace didn't seem to mind the small amount extra for the known commodity. If we can write off the small amount to upgrade Leonard Floyd, why not the same with RRH? Especially if it saves money in the process? They may not stat stuff, but Clayborne, Ward, and Wolfe can win 1 on 1s when Hicks, Mack, and Quinn get most of the attention. Cant say that about RRH other than we hope he looks like 2018 version when he could win some 1 on 1s as opposed to last years when he was constantly losing 1 on 1s after Hicks went down and teams schemed to stop Mack. To clarify--my analogy with Aaron Lynch was about what happened (mainly what didn't) on the field. To me, RRH starting means the bears may as well be playing 10 men on defense--because he's going to be taken out of almost every play the second an opposing OLinemen engages him. Unless nobody blocks him, then Lynch could look like he was a good defender who could get close to the QB. My production analogy with Lynch I think is fair. I almost wanted to put Bumarr, but RRH didn't get big $ like Bumarr did. If RRH wants to prove me wrong, I'll happily admit I'm wrong before he plays for someone else next year and hopefully gets the bears a comp pick.
Per Brad Biggs, Eddie Piniero sustained a groin injury (unknown extent), causing Pace to sign Cairos Santos. Also, apparently Akeim Hicks was fielding punts with the special teams and tweaked his quad (minor). I get the need to keep things loose/have some fun...but maybe fucking dont, Nagy. Back up/swing tackle Jason Spriggs has a right knee injury and they don't know how long he'll be out.
Fuck me. I mean....he's a guy that's had some severe injuries and your defense really relies on him. There's absolutely no reason for him to be fielding fucking punts.
Put me down in the Graham is a bum category. I'm still surprised we signed him, but I guess TE on this team has been that rough. I am putting my hopes and dreams in the Kmet bandwagon for now, though granted I have seen none of TC. I hope I have to start the I was wrong thread. RRH, I'm not buying this, but with a full strength Mack/Hicks back, lots of people can show up. I'm hopeful but last year he *did* disappear. I'm not going full BWW is wrong here, heh. I can't even start with this shit. This has to be a joke right? Cutesy gimmick stuff for real games is fun and all, and changing up practice is one thing, but when dudes get injured it's time to not.
Not bears related, but the Vikings just acquired Yannick Ngakoue from Jacksonville for a 2nd and a conditional other pick. One of the better 3-4 olbs now to a 4-3 defense. The hope is he looks like Shame, but sadly this cat has more than a spin move that worked once or twice. He’s now a 245 lb “down defensive end” running into an OT. If Zimmer figures out a way to use him correctly, that’s a problem.
He's talented. I don't care what scheme fit there is, the Vikings acquiring that kind of talent is not good, as Bears fans. Not good.
Fascinating...they must really like Johnson. The must also really think Monty can play week one. Unless the plan is to have Mitch throwing it ~50 times. Please don’t let this be the game plan, even if it is Matt Patricia...
Just wanted to throw this out there, from an Athletic article I was reading about Rodgers' lack of production from his receivers: "Five of the 15 potential missed touchdowns involved Graham, who frustrated the coaches consulted here by too frequently raising just one arm when trying to catch the ball. One of these plays featured Graham making a leaping attempt in the end zone with 9:08 left in the fourth quarter against Philadelphia as Rodgers scrambled to his right from the 10-yard line. “See Jimmy come back to the near pylon? Jimmy is right, Jimmy is so smart,” one of the coaches said. “He is not going to have two guys in the same spot, so you go here or there fast. Jimmy does and they always say they trust Jimmy, right? But what are you doing using one hand? Why would you do that?” " Now, "missed" means that it was a catchable ball, for context. Jimmy Graham came up A LOT... Good thing Pace snagged him for 2 years, $8 mil per...
To my knowledge that's always been a knock on Graham. But if Graham simply matched his numbers from last season this year, even though they were the lowest of his career since his rookie season, it would be a massive improvement to the Bears tight end room.
