It is a unique pleasure to talk football here without having to address 10 prior, awesome posts all in one go. Usually I just say, "Well, Ev pretty much said what I was going to anyway", so nice to chat in real time. You have a good one as well, friend!
Watching his tape, I was genuinely excited for him to learn from reps against Mack. Then I got excited for him to learn tendencies and shit talk from Hicks. Then I got excited for him to just embarrass Quinn. Gonna be fun.
Some final thoughts... Another tackle in Larry Borom, a running back from VT in Khalil Herbert, a CB in Thomas Graham a WR in Dazz Newsome, and a project DT in Khrys Tonga before several undrafted FA signings: a DT from Stanford (Shaffer), an OG from Clemson (Cervenka), a RB from Coastal Carolina (Marable), a TE from Stanford named Scooter, and a RT (Vogel) from Northwestern, two LBs and another DT from Temple. The new faces are nice and gave fans a shot in the arm and ultimately--cheaply, fill a ton of roster spots considering an idiot tied up all kinds of money before he gave away picks to get two of them. Pace still has to move money around, because the bears presently sit at $427,000 in cap space (minus whatever the undrafted FA's got as bonuses). Lots of people thought Graham and the rest of the DBs from Oregon were insane value, he was a longtime starter (40 pass deflections and 8 INTs in 3 years) before opting out of 2020 and is 21. Does that mean Graham goes outside or competes with...the bodies at CB in slot? Don't know, but I think he's got a fantastic shot to be another late-round gem, considering his one knock is that he doesn't possess "top-end speed." Not to put such a burden on a 6th round pick, but if Dazz Newsome puts Anthony Miller out of a job--great. If you want to sign another undrafted, taller WR (believe Newsome was listed as 5'9) to put Wims out of a job--please do, Pace. The WR room cannot have two ass clowns who don't follow simple fucking directions. Rashad Coward is the reason I can't be excited about a long-tenured starter Gage Cervenka on Clemson (undrafted). A converted DLinemen who started 23 games at G for Clemson and is a mean run mauler with great strength and leverage because he was also a wrestler. Some issues keeping weight down (he's 323 lbs now but was heavier a few months back) but I like it for depth. Why I like Teven Jenkins (per Jeff Dickerson on Espen Chicago): Teven Jenkins on his nasty streak: "My edge to me is about being able to finish anybody in the dirt. I don't care who you are lining up against me, I don't care what you earn against me, I don't care who you are, I'm going to attack you. The No. 1 thing I've always learned is, you keep your quarterback clean & you always keep him upright, no matter what you have to do. Be dirty, hold, do what you gotta do. If anybody hits my quarterback after the play, that's my problem, not his." As horrible as this is going to sound--have him watch tape of David Bakhtiari (packers LT). That guy is a master of holding the shit out of someone. Otherwise, I bet Khalil Mack is going to have fun in training camp. And last but not least--Justin Fields. The bar isn't high. Be better than Mitch and be ready to ad-lib/improvise a lot especially when we know Nagy is going back to calling plays--and I think Foles is the best guy to instill/coach/mentor(whatever word you want to use) that because we know Nagy doesn't tailor the offense to the QB talent until Bill Lazor does it and probably won't start now--he'll just say "here's level 101 or 201" and just throws the kid in the deep end--which don't get me wrong, an element to any QB's success is being thrown in the deep end and learning how to adjust to NFL level speed and timing before slowing things down--and that cannot be coached. Foles, though he sucked often last year--stood up to/bickered with Nagy/changed/audibled plays because he knew play calls were fucking stupid and wouldn't work with a simple pre-snap read. If that means Foles is a glorified and heavily paid Mark Sanchez/"player-coach"--so be it. I want this kid to succeed terribly but only one thing that bothers me about the pick is that every pundit keeps saying the bears got the 2nd best QB of the draft--who wasn't the 2nd QB taken.
Great stuff all around. I get what you're saying here, but the Hoge argument was that the Jets and 49ers were dazzled by the potential in Wilson/Lance, where while Fields has issues, he's less potential and more established, faced adversity, etc. I was thinking about this more and I'm still baffled as ever. The trades really make this seem like Pace is in "win now" mode, but Fields is going to need some time, and these draft pick ups usually aren't "win now" moves, they are building for the future. If Fields ends up being everything Mitch should have, it will 100% be worth it, but I'm struggling to see how that happens this year, when Dalton is still the clear QB1. The other thing I was thinking, is how many draft pundits love to trumpet draft winners but how often does that pan out? "Everyone" had a great draft this year, but there are for sure duds out there. Regardless, no matter how good you are, the first few years are going to have some rookie growing pains. It really does feel to me like Pace/Nagy feel their seat isn't warm, and I really don't have a lot of faith in them. But I don't see how the McCaskey's fire either of them even if this year doesn't pan out, they gave Pace the ability to pick another franchise QB attempt. Regardless, they have me interested again, more the fool me. On a separate note, I am loving the Rodgers drama. It may be a nothing burger, but strife up north is never unwelcome to me. And if the unthinkable happens and Rodgers does leave, what a great day that would be. Sure maybe GB struck gold and got a 3rd consecutive HOF QB, but what the hell are the odds of that. GB fans are some of the most spoiled ever when it comes to the QB position, and seemingly are 100% ready for Love to take the reigns as if there would be no step down.
I'll join Blang in being a wet blanket here. The only thing that looks good is Ryan Pace. The fanbase is charged and they will watch. It's like he watched Gar Foreman and John Paxon tread water for years with the Chicago Bulls, putting out garbage/overrated team after garbage/overrated team with no results, no direction, and being in "basketball hell" where they're good enough to scrape into the playoffs but they're screwed when they run into a good team, or in the Bulls' case--Lebron and it ends with zero hope of a top draft pick or a premier FA going to them. But it didn't matter because they'll latch on to things that keep fans handing over money. The bulls had narratives like Derrick Rose being the hometown hero, "the bench mob," and would show video of Joakim Noah being excited/the 'heart and soul' of the team (while being a career below-average to average big man on the court sans one excellent year defensively); the bears have 'club dub' or Khalil Mack rag-dolling offensive linemen (while also not getting stat-sheet results.) Draft grades are BS and just part of this enormous spectacle that the draft has turned into. I ignore it these days, and it sucks that college football along with gambling is buying into it because its about money, not the game. But enough of my old man crotchety-ness. Again, I want these kids to be stars, and to Pace's credit--he's found some gems--especially late. But like with Garpax--I'm not convinced this team is anything more than a pretender until/unless Fields proves to be the generational talent, or even top 1/3 talent at QB in the NFL like Phillip Rivers was/Matt Stafford is. I have a huge hope that this isn't overblown or out of context, and given sports media's/American medias' general level of trustworthiness (zero)--I'm taking it with a grain of salt. Look at the Russell Wilson nonsense--people were taking shit like Seattle's GM and Pace going to the same Clemson/Bama pro-day and running with a narrative that "talks for Russell Wilson are ongoing and here's a package that could seal the deal (that would never happen.)" In Rodgers' case--its about the packers trading up in the 1st round last year to take a QB and now Rodgers is mad mixed with his weird personality because he's shut off from his family with that drama, and letting a narrative run about the #1 guy feeling threatened. He's still a packer until he's not. And like Russell Wilson--he's under contract for several more years and GB, like Seattle with Wilson have/should have zero incentive to let him go while letting the media spew nonsense, and GB's new GM is doing just that. Like everybody else--I'm ready to see Green Bay (along with Seattle, New England, and Pittsburgh/teams I'm tired of seeing year after year) be irrelevant for a decade-plus and with the bears/lions/vikes in terms of trying to claw their way to the top without a generational talent at QB. I want Erin gone. He's not yet, and the Packers have to make a few moves to give him a hefty raise he wants. Given the choice between cutting Amos and Preston Smith or trading Erin--what do you think GB is going to do? What would you do? Exactly.
Whoa. So are we expecting Jenkins to be a LT even though he played as a RT in college? Still probably better than Leno!
Fuck Ryan Pace. He's going to make me argue for keeping Leno, who I have always wanted gone. Motherf***, Pace. You piece of s***... Leno is bad. We all know that. But the Bears have TWO empty tackle spots, not just one. Jenkins has the potential to play LT in the NFL, but he struggles with quick rushers and setting properly when asked to sit back pass block. He is not a day-one LT. And even if he is, who is playing RT? I'd rather at least have Leno on the team than not. I can't believe I'm saying that, but Pace ignoring the OT spot for almost a full decade does that... Ryan Pace is one of the single worst roster builders I've ever seen. He builds with no foresight, and creates at least as many holes as he fills, usually immediately after / before one another (see: now). Leno is bad, yes. But you signed Andy Dalton for $10 million, in addition to Nick Foles, then cut your All-Pro CB, and now have even less certainty about your OL, all because you have no idea what to do. I want Charles Leno off the Bears, yes. But I also want an OL that isn't thrown entirely to rookies and backups. I wanted Jenkins to learn without having to be a day-one LT. But, fuck. We've got Pace.
My only guess is if its not Jenkins, Pace thinks/is close to signing one of Mitchell Schwartz or Eric Fisher as a cheaper stopgap given age/injury history. They also signed some swing tackle from Denver, I don't know if he's in play.
Holy shit, FINALLY!!! The useless sack of shit is gone. The softest Bears lineman since at least Chris Williams is out the door. A player so bad i heckled his ass before kickoff in London. First Fields, then Jenkins, now Leno? There can be only one explanation for this. After all our years of hard work and toil here on the Bears board, building, planning. Our well placed operative in the janitorial department at Halas Hall, @tunafat, has finally succeeded in replacing the GM with our radio controlled Pace mannequin!
Hahaha, love it. And so true, the guy is so bad as roster building that even the right move he manages to make look kinda wrong. Pace knows so little about O-Line it wouldn't surprise me if he thought hey i'll just move Jenkins from RT to LT. I mean its the same job, just on the other end of the line. Im not against that kinda move at all. Even on one achilles Fisher is better than Leno. Is Okung still out there too? Problem is Pace is so up against the CAP that even with a June 1st designation for extra savings the Leno cut will barely cover signing rookies, if it even does. Which means the vet LT plan, even on a team friendly deal, will prob require more cap saving thru another cut.
There was pre draft chatter about Jenkins being viewed as a left tackle. If this is the case and that is where the Bears envision him then for better or worse put him there and keep him there. Tired of this musical chairs crap the Bears play with the o linemen.
This is just about the funniest thing I've read on this board, certainly recently. Well done @EvertonBears !
Surely this comes as a huge shock but this pick gets my stamp of approval. Great pick Bears! I hope he keeps the number.
LMAO and Next on my list is my "cancel culture" crusade with the visor. Stick with Pfizer, Shun the visor.
Well, it worked. Twitter is presently filled with ball chortlers arguing that the Bears are a lock to win the division and that Ryan Pace has "built a great roster", pointing to Fields and consecutive 8 win seasons as proof. I kid you not. Thank you all for being the best possible people to talk sports with. Because, fuck, it's sure not Twitter. Ugh.
Most fans are fucking stupid. Which is why I love CCS so much when I need a laugh and appreciate this board. People there are bringing up scenarios to trade the new rookie qb for Russell Wilson... I’m still skeptical overall. As mentioned, Fields was the 2nd best qb of the draft but 4th taken—and it seems the blanketed pundit response is that San Fran and the jets picked sexy “traits” over the complete package when most nfl teams don’t operate like that. Though we won’t know till John Lynch is fired/done in SF—I want to know why the mortgaging of 3 years for Lance and not Fields. I also want to know why Denver and Carolina passed, because I struggle to believe Teddy Bridgewater is the guy Fangio wants to roll with when this could be his last year as a HC and Sam Darnold—who sucked in New York but Rhule has a longer leash than Vic as HC and still with Joe Brady who’s probably a HC candidate for next year unless Carolina takes a dump. Also can’t help but be 50/50 with Ryan Pace. Did he make this move to reel in fans that felt disconnected and ready to find a new fall hobby on Sundays or did he actually see what everybody has been for years and decide there’s no time like the present to fix left tackle and qb outlooks? If it’s the latter why wait so fucking long?
Or none of the above, and maybe he made the pick simply to buy his ass a few more years. It took 3 seasons for it to be clear Mitch wasn't the guy. He'll have at least that much time, and maybe more, with Fields.
