Tired of draft retconning. So, let’s fight about something else! Rolling Stones published their Top 50 Rock Bands of All Time, and let’s just say, the the torches were lit!
I’m no musicologist, I only play one on YT, but ranking US ahead of Pink Floyd is more insane than Syd Barrett [too soon?]
Remember when Apple ‘gifted’ iTunes customers with a free U2 album, and it pissed off so many, people even uninstalled iTunes! Pepperidge Farm remembers…
Plenty of others on list which I don’t even think I heard a song of [T Rex, Wilco, Cream, Primal Scream…]. I don’t know how they put Stone Roses ahead of The Cure, Black Sabath ,The Cure, CCR while many bands like Alice in Chains, Rage and Rammstein didn’t even make the cut.
One interesting take is Chicago’s very own Billy Corgon claiming ‘they’ cucked rock.
Then again he also swears he fucked a reptilian…
Anywho, let’s play a game.
Name the band you listened to the most until you were 21.
The band you listened to the most in your 30s, 40s, and 50s.
At the peak of Dutch Tulip Mania in 1637, a single Semper Augustus bulb cost up to 10,000 guilders, which is estimated to be worth roughly $250,000+ in modern currency. This amount was enough to buy a luxurious mansion on an Amsterdam canal, making it the most expensive bulb in history.
I know what you’re asking, “What the hell does the Tulip craze [and crash] of 1637 have to do with the NFL?”
Well, good question, grasshopper.
Whilst watching the NFL Draft, I was utterly stunned that BJ/Poles drafted yet another TE. I mean, it’s not as if Kmet is a weed. So using the 3rd [69th overall] on TE3 seemed overkill esp when Bears roster a bottom 3rd Dline.
When I played FF, ppl generally implemented two strategies. You can either spend bigly on prime Kelce/Kittle/Antonio Gates/Gonzales/Gronk, or pass on them altogether and spend on WR1, WR2, RB1, RB2, and throw a measly $buck for a TE1 at the end of draft. “Stars and scrubs.”
But as Dylan twanged, ‘the times, they are a-changing’.
Two/Three TE packages [12-13 personnel] is now all the NFL rage. The Pats provided the blueprint with Gronk/Hernandez. McVey has modernized it. Ben Johnson obviously taking it to the next lvl.
BJ isn’t alone. NYJ started the TE push when drafting TE Sadiq 16th overall. TE Stowers went in the 2nd [54th], Boerkircher 2nd [56th], Klein [59th], Klare [61] then the 3rd RD opened.
At this point BJ/Poles must’ve thought, “holy shit, I don’t think Roush is going to survive this round.” TE Mania was in full effect. So, with the 69th pick, Bears selected TE Sam Roush – a beastly blocker with drop issues.
9ers wasted no time in drafting Edge Romello Height very next pick. Puke in same round drafted DT Chris McLellan, Jags DT Albert Regis, Vikings fan fav DT Big Citrus Orange, Cowboys Edge Barham, so it’s not as if Poles couldn’t have drafted Dline. He [or more accurately, BJ] chose TE over dline.
Stowers, Delp, Klare, Roush and Raridon combined for just nine touchdowns in 2025, while Sadiq had eight by himself. These tight ends are not household names, even amongst the most diehard college football fans.
However, many general managers could be left scratching their heads before these tight ends finish playing on their rookie contracts.
The TE frenzy wasn’t over. THREE more TEs were drafted in the 2nd after Roush. About TWENTY were drafted by the time Mr. Irrelevant hit the stage. Keep in mind that this TE class wasn’t particularly viewed as strong, and much like toilet paper during Covid, GMs bumrushed the TE aisles to stock up before missing out. Talk about FOMO.
Rationale. As any finance man will admit, the market masks itself in logic, laws, equations, algos – SCIENCE, but all it takes is one ansty townsfolk sprinting to the bank to trigger a run.
The NFL differs little. Only need ONE NFL GM to ‘overdraft’ or buck ‘consensus’, then the rest of the GMs frantically redraw their boards.
Bears specifically likely valued TE much more than other teams:
In the 2nd half of the season, 12 + 13 personnel accounted for 50% of the plays. So Ben kept ratcheting them up all season
Considering this, it may not seem that much of an “over reach” despite DESPERATELY needing to upgrade Dline.
TE trend makes sense in the macro as well. The NFL is a punch, counter-punch kinda league. Os went pass heavy. Ds retired the neck-roll and got smaller and faster. Now QBs struggle mightily [see Kiper’s epic rant to outlaw the Cover 2], ergo many OCs now want to revert to Tank Packages. Surprisingly, tank packages aren’t just to run it down their throats either as studies have shown that teams actually throw more out of 12-13 personnel than expected. Again, punch, counter-punch. DC spots heavy, expects run, that leaves Loveland isolated with a LB – boom.
It might make sense in the micro too. Packers traded for Parsons. If you’re the Bears with an IFFY LT/C, it may not be the best idea to throw it 40 times a windy game. Instead, just run right at the small fast DE with an achy back.
This strat can apply to all other teams with a 3-4 Edge who are typically undersized at about 240.
Will Roush payoff more than a Dlinemen like Big Orange?
I suppose only time will tell.
In our 2021 MiB podcast, he made this observation:
When I first heard ‘Zavion’ called, I got excited. I thought the Bears drafted the other Zxavion, Zxavion Harris. A DT with a record. Turns out, Harris didn’t even get drafted because of his red flags. Get on it, Poles!
My second initial reaction, “Great, another Velus-Cohen special.” Perhaps I’m just an overly traumatized Bear fans, “Tell me where Halas touched you…”
For any who still doubt that BJ is driving and Poles riding shotgun, this is the pick. So this really is the “in Ben we trust” era.
“This guy is going to be a weapon,” Bears assistant director of college scouting Francis St. Paul said on Friday. “This is one of the guys that Ben, when he saw the tape, started doing his little rocking and you could tell he was really excited about him.”
The new kickoff rules have actually pushed a lot of prospects with return skills up the boards making iffy HBs, scatbacks and hybrid WRs much more viable than in previous years. Drafniks hadn’t factored this much into their mocks, as such, they made Zavion Thomas a 7th RDer or priority UFDA;
Nevertheless, actual GMs and coaches obviously covet starting field position much more.
Silvy@WaddleandSilvy
Our friend @FieldYates told us a great story about Zavion Thomas. Field didn’t have him in his top 150. Someone called him and asked why. That person told him that Thomas would eventually be a third round pick. And it wasn’t from someone w/ the #Bears.
Teams would kick it out of the back of the endzone because that’s what the math dictated. Roughly 23% of kickoffs were returned. That’s not much value for a returner. They changed the rule to punish teams that booted it out. Suddenly coaches didn’t want to cede a measly extra 5 yards because it changed the winning/losing math. This dramatically boosted returns from 23% to about 70%, or as Hoge relayed, about 70 chances to create a big play per season.
If Zavion Thomas can gift the O an extra 5-7 yds per drive, that alone might be worth the pick. Think about how some clutch Devin Durvernay returns changed momentum and even a win or two.
An extra 5-7 yards could be the difference between a short shanked punt which only nets 20 yds, or turning a 60 yd FG attempt into a 53 yder to tie/win the game.
That’s not even accounting for the sky in the pie scenario where Thomas plays more like the OTHER Chicago returner named Devin.
Ben Johnson obviously calculated the risk to be worth it. Something else to consider. Maybe BJ doesn’t see Thomas as a gadget/ speed slot WR. Maybe, just maybe, he sees him more as his Jahmyr Gibbs.
Or Thomas was ridiculously overdrafted and Velus 2.0…
I have slipped through some inter-dimensional portal and have somehow arrived here. I originate from a timeline where the Bears won the Bradshaw coin flip. Where Martin didn’t break McMahon. Where the Bears traded up a measly two spots to steal Aaron Donald. Where Tharris and Mike Brown stay healthy, and Lovie keeps pounding the rock with Thomas Jones, thus becoming the first AF American HC to win a SB.
Where Mahomes, not Trubisky, was selected, and the double-doink never doinked because, well, Da Bears’ Mahomes-Mack-Attack lead the SB charge. M&Ms even pumped out a special Bears’ edition which naturally we ate up [puns are still a thing on Earth 2.]
SB Shuffle VI with Mahomes and Mack doing the Kid-N-Play was epic! something my grandchildren will cherish.
However, I am dismayed to see NONE of this transpired on this Earth. For that, I offer my condolences. How a team can land Butkus and Sayers in the same draft and STILL not win a SB is truly a cosmic outlier; tbh one timestream in the multiverse must be the Steven Baldwin of Earths, and I am eternally grateful that it is YOURs and not mine. Whew.
On that note, I will relay how the Bears’ Draft 2026 unfolded on Earth 2.
Bears’ draft picks 2026:
Rd 1, Pick 25: DE Keldrick Faulk Rd 2, Pick 57: SS Emmanuel McNeil-Warren Rd 3, Pick 69: DT Tyler Onyedim Rd 3, Pick 89: C-IOL-T Trey Zuhn III Rd 4, Pick 124: CB Malik Muhammad Rd 5, Pick 166: WR Kendrick Law Rd 6, Pick 213: DT Jordan van den Berg
Rd 1, # 25 DE Keldric Faulk. Allen is picky, and Faulk is one of the few DEs who actually fits his mold. The GM on Earth 2 isn’t counting on an old Jarrett, schizo Dexter, Motivated Dayo [coming off an achilles] or Turner [coming off a torn ACL] to magically become elite and improve a terrible Dline which can neither stop the run or rush the QB.
Rd 2, #57 SS Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. Yes, Still needed a S in Earth 2, and yes, many over here likewise mocked EMW to Bears at #25, so fantastic value that fills a need. No-brainer.
RD 3, #69, DT Tyler Onyedim actually fell 2 spots to Bears. Can never roster enough Dline, right? Well, at least that’s what Bears in Earth 2 believe. On Earth 1, apparently, Bears can never roster enough TEs.
RD 3, #89 C-IOL-T Trey Zuhn III. Shockingly, the Bears on Earth 2 also needed a C, except on our planet, Dalman didn’t retire but tragically died in a stand-fucking orgy at Coachella. I guess he really didn’t want to play for the Bears in any timeline. As such, Bears still needed a C, so they pick a 6’6 320 Zuhn. Now, this isn’t exactly a new C since he also played LT, but luckily for Bears, they need that too! Braxton-Benedet-Trapilo are sketchy at best while Thuney isn’t getting any younger. Ergo Zuhn who can sub across the Oline wherever needed.
RD 4, #124 CB Malik Muhammad We’re earth 2, not bizzaro world, so some overlap is natural, and it seems a universal Konstant that Tyrique Stevenson is a bozo who can not be trusted. Some still wanted CConnor Lew to further solidify the trenches.
RD5, #166 WR Kendrick Law BJ must be appeased on any Earth! He saw something in Law – a thick YAC weapon with some return chops. I see in this version the Lions drafted him at #168 as they share the same type as BJ.
RD 6 #213 DT Jordan van den Berg Did I mention that on our Earth Bears stack the trenches? Faulk and Berg at bare minimum spell Motivated Dayo, Jarrett and Sweat, and as such, make them more efficient. Worst case scenario – Dayo busts, Jarret gets old as Turner struggles to find a position while recovering from his torn ACL forcing Faulk and Berg to pick up the slack.
As Mario Lemieux famously said: “Tu rates 100% des tirs que tu ne prends pas.”
Rd 1, Pick 25: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon Rd 2, Pick 57: Logan Jones, C, Iowa Rd 3, Pick 69: Sam Roush, TE, Stanford Rd 3, Pick 89: Zavion Thomas, WR, LSU Rd 4, Pick 124: Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas Rd 5, Pick 166: Keyshaun Elliott, LB, Arizona St. Rd 6, Pick 213: Jordan van den Berg, DT, Georgia Tech
UDFA Signings / Invites Player, Pos, School
Beau Gardner LS Georgia Caden Barnett G Wyoming [Vanilla Gorilla!] Coleman Bennett RB Kennesaw St Gabriel Plascencia K SDSU Hayden Large TE Iowa Jaren Kump C Utah Jayden Loving DT Wake Forest KC Eziomume CB Tulane Mason Murphy OT Auburn Miller Moss QB Louisville Omari Kelly WR Michigan State Skyler Thomas S Oregon State Squirrel White WR Florida State
Tryout Invites Dain Walter OT UWL Devin Pringle DB UConn Jaheim Ward DB Eastern Kentucky Josh Kreutz C Illinois Terrell Tilmon DE Texas Tech
TOs, which are notoriously fickle yr-to-yr, were the ONLY factor separating us from laughing stock Ds like Dallas. Bears need to replace approx 24/33 TOs.
TLDR:
BJ/Poles declared they were going BPA, and that’s EXACTLY what they did. If they went for need, they would’ve drafted:
Round 2, Pick 57:Logan Jones, C, Iowa Pro Comparison: Seth McLaughlin Summary Logan Jones anchored Iowa’s Joe Moore Award–winning offensive line and won the Rimington Trophy after logging more than 2,800 snaps as a four-year starter. He shows good athletic traits and excellent consistency in Iowa’s zone-blocking system. Jones likely projects as a center only at the next level and lacks the ideal size and length the NFL typically covets, despite his stellar college career. He’s a savvy, intelligent player who could thrive in a zone or pin-and-pull scheme.
About 2025: Unanimous All-American 2025: Rimington Trophy winner (nation’s top C) Strengths Excellent feet and athleticism to reach frontside defenders and cut off backside pursuit; smooth mover in space and to the second level. Good initial strike in pass protection with the footwork to mirror, clamp and stone defenders on counters. High football IQ, consistently setting protections, identifying the Mike and adjusting the point when needed. Weaknesses Struggles to move head-up defensive linemen in the run game and anchor consistently against power in pass protection. Lacks the ideal size and length [30″ arms] NFL teams prefer; combine measurements will be closely scrutinized. Smaller pass-protection sample in a run-heavy offense and has shown occasional issues picking up games and exotic blitzes. Combine Data 40-yard dash: 4.90 seconds [Sub 5]. Vertical jump: 32 inches 20-yard shuttle run: 4.59 seconds Broad jump: 9 feet, 2 inches 3-cone drill: 7.46 seconds
Butch Take: I don’t mind this one [despite the Trex factor]. Bradbury was never the long-term answer and Logan Jones may actually supplant him. Iowa has a fantastic record with Oline and TEs. Seems a bit undersized, but BJ/Rouschar covet nimble Cs, and Jones can make blocks others can’t. It should be noted that other IOL/Cs like Slaughter, Hecht, Zuhn and Lew were frequently graded more highly, but hey, THEY didn’t win the Rimington, and I never trust ‘converted’ Cs. Prefer them to be true centers, and Jones is that. C is also notoriously difficult to judge, so I’m going to have to trust BJ knows WTF he’s doing.
Round 3, Pick 69 (via Rams): Sam Roush, TE, Stanford Pro Comparison: Jack Doyle Summary Sam Roush is a sturdy, reliable tight end who excels as a traditional inline blocker and middle-of-the-field target. A high-achieving student-athlete at Stanford, he has a large catch radius and the strength to run through defenders in the open field. While he may not be the fastest player, his consistent blocking and ability to shield defenders make him a valuable asset in a balanced offense.
About Career: 119 receptions, 1,201 receiving yards, 4 receiving TD Family: Two uncles and grandfather played in NFL Strengths Effective inline blocker who plays bigger than his 250-pound frame. Natural hands catcher with a large, reliable catch radius. Strong long-strider capable of running through arm tackles in space. Weaknesses Lacks high-end twitch or explosiveness of elite tight ends. Can struggle to create consistent separation against tight man coverage. Occasional losses early in reps against highly active edge rushers. Combine Data 40-yard dash: 4.70 seconds Bench press: 25 reps Vertical jump: 38.5 inches 20-yard shuttle run: 4.37 seconds Broad jump: 10 feet, 6 inches 3-cone drill: 7.08 seconds
Butch Take: must admit, this befuddled me. Poles just restructured Kmet. Loveland is obviously TE1, so drafting TE3 at 69 makes lil sense. I can only conclude BJ wanted to make up for Smythe’s 25% snaps [though I read Bears only lined up 8% in 13 personnel. Need to confirm]. Nevertheless, T3 ain’t going to stop Jahmyr Gibbs or sack Jordan Love.
Round 3, Pick 89: Zavion Thomas, WR, LSU Pro Comparison: Rashid Shaheed Summary Zavion Thomas is an explosive, versatile playmaker who can line up across the formation or contribute as a dangerous return specialist. He relies on elite short-area quickness and precise footwork to create instant separation against man coverage. While he lacks the size to dominate in jump-ball situations, his ability to reach top speed quickly makes him a constant big-play threat in space.
About 2025: 41 receptions, 488 receiving yards, 4 receiving TD Career: 1,213 receiving yards, 7 receiving TD, 1 rushing TD, 3 return TD Strengths Reaches top speed in two steps with elite acceleration. Precise route runner with twitchy movement out of breaks. Dangerous open-field runner with the ability to stack defenders vertically. Weaknesses Struggles to win contested-catch battles against larger defenders. Lacks the size and play strength to be an effective blocker. Difficulty separating on deep routes against physical cornerbacks. Combine Data 40-yard dash: 4.28 seconds Vertical jump: 36 inches
Butch Take: Another offensive weapon! [pun intended]. Honestly, my first reaction? “Great, Velus/Cohen 2.0” An apologist can argue that we needed a true ‘gadget’ threat. Someone who can take a jet sweep or return to the house, or back off the safeties with 4.28 ludicrous speed. Heck, some comp him to Tyreek Hill, and he’s somehow related to Sweetness.
I guess Bears can score 50 a game.
OT. Sat, RDs 4-7
Jacob Infante@jacobinfante24 ·28m #Bears GM Poles drafting in RD 3:
• Velus Jones Jr. • Zacch Pickens • Kiran Amegadjie • Sam Roush • Zavion Thomas
Not even gonna bother with best available. GMs usually go off the rails by RD 4 [some earlier, apparently].
Only ones I maybe want:
Edge, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State
DL Gracen Halton, Oklahoma
DT Zxavian Harris, Ole Miss
So Poles will likely draft a safety, scatback and water boy.
We would all prefer Dline, but BPA pointed to drafting the 2nd best Safety.
It’s entirely possible Poles was eyeing Edge Mesidor or Edge Malachai Lawrence drafted right before Bears at #22 and #23, respectively.
The Browns decided to draft the 4rth best WR instead of the 2nd best S, which set up S Theineman for Poles on a platter.
Many assumed he’d be gone by #25. Plenty mocked Vikings taking him at #18, but instead they drafted DT Caleb Banks – a massive DT with bum feet. Lions the pick before predictably drafted a LT in Blake Miller.
At this point a GM must show his hand. Poles preached “BPA” but Safety happened to also fill a hole. Instead of drafting DT Peter Woods, or Edge Keldric Faulk like the Chiefs and Titans after Bears, Poles selected the consensus best S.
Courtney Cronin@CourtneyRCronin ·2h Ryan Poles: “This was the most aggressive we were in terms of the guys that we like.” If a player wasn’t the right scheme fit, didn’t fit their character profile, etc. “then you’re off the board.”
The Bears feel like they’re in a position to be “very selective of who we want.”
Poles: “Why mess around with those who don’t fit what we’re trying to do?”
Of note, S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo
DL Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
EDGE Zion Young, Missouri
EDGE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
Didn’t go in the 1st, so Poles correctly valued the board.
Dillon is a genetic freak! He blazed a 4.35 [faster than many CBs/WRs]. 9.72 RAS out 10. Vertical jump 94% [who says white men can’t jump!]
Larry Mayer@LarryMayer ·3h With 25th pick in first round of draft, Bears select safety Dillon Thieneman. The 6-foot, 201-pounder appeared in 39 games over three seasons at Purdue (2023-24) and Oregon (2025), registering 8 interceptions, 14 pass breakups, 306 tackles, 10.0 tackles-for-loss and 2.0 sacks.
PFF graded him as the 8th best player out of 914. Comped to Kevin Byard, Jevon Holland or Harrison Smith.
Productive, athletic and versatile + filling a hole on D. Poles almost HAD to draft Dillon Thieneman. Albeit many of us must still get over our Chris Conte PTSD…
OT:
TRENDING: #Bears first-round safety Dillon Thieneman’s sister Kiera has gone viral on social media during the #NFL draft for her facial reactions during the interview.
====Day 2==== Bears hold the #57 and #60th in the 2nd, and #89th in 3rd.
Will Poles trade up in day 2? Initially I suspected yes, but after digging through best available, no, I don’t think so. Still TONS of talent left esp on the lines and LB. Like on Day 1, Poles should just let gems fall on his lap.
For those wondering about trades, Pit shared this :
Seahawks traded 52 and 82 for 35
Texans traded 58 and 99 for 48
Bills traded (to the Bears) 56, 62, and 109 for 41, 72, and 240
They can absolutely go up or down, but I feel like they’ll stay or even trade down. Depends on how they tier prospects, but Day 2 is the meat of this draft. Simply scan the list of Lance Zierlein’s best available and circle all the players who could contribute immediately. Bold for prospects who interest me or were linked to Bears. [i]=interviewed/visited
Matt Miller [correctly guessed Loveland last draft while everyone was picking Dline or TE Tyler Warren]Mock for Bears:
Initially Peter Woods.
Peter Woods, DE, Clemson.
Now he’s changed it to OT Caleb Lomu
Fowler’s intel: Lomu is a popular name in league circles in the back half of Round 1. He is on the radar of the Eagles, Lions, Texans and 49ers, among others.
Biggsy mocks DE Zion Young Fishbain mocks OT Caleb Lomu Schrager mocks DE T.J. Parker
==The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain== succinctly surveys viable Bear targets using colleague Dane Brugler’s “Beast.”
We’ve been covering the draft specifically, but now I want to pull back and survey the overall landscape. In life we sometimes get so stuck in the minutia, running to and fro the rat race tubes, that we forget to squeeze out and take it all in. Walking the streets of a city differs from viewing the city from a nearby mountain.
On that note, this vid touches on some of the sentiments I share on overall roster construction in the modern NFL. Modern being the key adjective because sometimes as long time NFL fans, our mentality can freeze in a different era [see, music taste]. We all loved Irish [to varying degrees!], but if his WRs weren’t 6’4, if his DCs weren’t blitzing like a methed-out Buddy Ryan, and if the pundits didn’t actually play, then he wanted no part of them. Or as he would put it, “Be gone!” He also wanted to draft a stud HB in nearly every draft searching for our next Sweetness!
Well, hate to break it to us Bear fans, but this ain’t 1985! NFL changes seemingly every 4-5 years. Sometimes it’s subtle [i.e. the avg size of ILBs] other times it’s more pronounced [I doubt we’ll ever see a HB going #1 overall ever again].
I still subscribe to some longstanding NFL truism: building the trenches is #1. My earliest critique on Poles was him building the secondarybefore the lines.
Poles to his credit DID attempt to fix the Oline at least, he was simply[ironically] TERRIBLE at it. Nate Davis [$30M], Lucas Patrick, Coleman Shelton, Tyler Biadasz, Kiran Amegadjie…Oddly enough, considering Braxton Jones was a 5th RDer, he might be Poles’ greatest ‘gem’ while Wright has proven to be a good pick [but is he a better RT than Carter a DT?]; luckily for Poles, and us, the new crew of BJ/Rouschar seem to be superior in Oline evaluation and development.
TBC, I didn’t HATE the prospects per se. CB Kyler Gordon [#39], SS Brisker [#48] were startable; I just felt that Poles should focus on the lines FIRST.
The following draft, Poles selected Wright [over Carter at #10], then DT Gervon Dexter [#53], so he did attempt to build the Dlines, but then he drafted yet another CB Stevenson at #56
“Statistically CBs get INJed the most, aging nearly as fast as HBs, so unless your SB window is near, they’ll likely be irrelevant by the time you create a contending team. Optimally, you build the trenches then get a top CB still in his prime”
This sadly applies to Bears. Both Johnson and Gordon were INJed for much of the year while Brisker’s brain became mush. Stevenson seems durable, but BJ benched him for a journey CB Wright. Will Johnson, Gordon and Stevenson remain on the team by the time it makes a real SB push? Doubtful.
Ergo, BUILD THE TRENCHES.
Afterwards, add the gravy of a premium CB and HB.
Naturally with MOFOS far better than Gervon, Pickens or Unmotivated Dayo. However, perhaps the template of wanting ONE Übermensch is outdated
‘The last two SB winners didn’t have a 10+ sack player…SEA and Philly just sent waves of big men at you…it’s like hockey where teams just throw line A then sub in a whole new line B. Line B won’t be as great as line A, but it gives the starters much needed rest and makes them more effective overall’
This trend seems hard to dispute. We all wanted Garrett, Crosby, Hendrickson to a lesser degree, but look what happened to the Puke. Once Micah Parsons went down, their season was basically over. Packers didn’t send waves – they sent one tsunami; their SB dreams dissipated with their tsunami.
Consequently, Bears should acquire as many [impact] Dlinemen as possible. After fielding a healthy stable, then the finishing touches of Safeties like Nick Emmanwori [35th] or CB Quinyon Mitchell [22nd].
Spine of team – right down the middle – should exhibit intelligence, character and leadership the closer you get to the middle – Daniel Jeramiah
This is actually an old trope which used to be racist – just ask Warren Moon [‘QB, C, MLB and S should be white’].
Thankfully, we have progressed as a society beyond these stereotypes. I’ll put Samurai Mike’s and Mike Brown’s football IQ up against anyone. [Maybe we just need to draft more Mikes!]
This may also help explain the seemingly befuddling move to extend TJ Edwards. Maybe DeMarco Jackson is way more athletic, but can he line everyone up right? Can he be the general with the green dot?
Unc Byard was that for the secondary but Poles signed another S with leadership and communication chops in Coby Bryant.
Losing Dalman at C absolutely hurt, and we can only hope the new guy can at least hold court.
When I found out Dalman retired
Obviously the player who must exhibit the most intelligence, communication and leadership is the QB and the arrow is pointing up for Caleb in those departments.
Still, down the line, Poles will have to address the MLB and C positions, maybe as soon as this week.
Other NFL axioms exist like about arms, starting experience, ‘don’t draft outliers’ etc but the aforementioned seem more foundational.
It needs to be said though that NFL teambuilding philos can’t become dogmatic. Plenty of tipping points.
For instance, even if one professes “Never draft a HB, LB or S in the 1st RD!” if Jeremiyah Love, Sonny Styles or Caleb Downs somehow miraculously slip to #25, Poles will sprint to podium like the Flash. Heck, I can envision Poles drafting WR Carnell Tate or TE Kenyon Sadiq if they’re somehow still on the board regardless of “need.”
QBs need the three Ps: surround them with the playcaller, playmakers and protection – Jeremiah
This may be the most vital of all, and it seems the Bears FINALLY have the 3Ps in
1.BJ 2.Loveland/Burden/Rome… 3.Top 5 Oline
That can go a long way esp if the run and pass rush D get fixed.
