The Most Important Offseason in Bears History
Now that the dust has settled in the 2023 season, there's a lot to unpack about what's happening at Halas Hall. For the 2nd year in a row the Bears hold the #1 pick in April's draft although this time it's not due to their own ineptitude but because the Panthers were the worse team in football this year. Our own personal pick sits at #9 so we have #1 & #9 respectively. SO WHAT DO WE DO??
Loaded question but let's start with the changes in the coaching staff we saw take place yesterday. OC Luke Getsy and several other offensive coaches were let go and thank god they were. I have a massive problem with how Luke Getsy game planned and called games this past season. The year prior is whatever to me because we were an awful team at the start of a rebuild, so it didn't matter what he put together that season BUT this season was pretty bad. 2 games stick out to me in writing this and that is the MNF game @ Minnesota and the last game of the year in Green Bay. Look at that game's offensive play calls and tell me that's not an absolute joke. He took the ball out of Justin Fields hands, flat out. Throwing the ball sideways and running the ball into a box loaded with 8-9 defenders on repeat as if something was going to change throughout the game.
What that says to me is that Getsy simply never believed that Fields could win games for the Bears. So instead of framing a game plan around the QB's skill set, he ran gimmicky screens, designed passes, and wanted to control the clock. That was the style of offense all year. He called 22 screen passes in the Minnesota game and in the Green Bay Finale had only called 11 pass plays going into the 4th quarter (Fields was 8/9 of those 11 as well; 2 sacks). I feel completely relieved now that he's gone and Eberflus absolutely has to get the OC correct this time around. Speaking of Eberflus....
I would say Bears fans are probably 90/10 split on wanting the Bears to get rid of him as well this offseason. And to me, while I can understand the argument I'm just not sure what we want collectively as a fan base. We could very well be so used to disaster and restarting that it's all we know. I am in the camp of certain things need to happen in order for bringing back Eberflus to make sense, but I'm not fired up about that decision really. Yes we lost to Green Bay and it was horrible. Yes we lost 3 games we should've won and it was horrible. But the main thing that people aren't taking into account is the culture that Eberflus is building in Chicago. Stay with me now! I get if you don't like him what does it matter, but these intangibles are important in sports at any level.
These guys on the team love each other and play for each other. In a 2 year stretch that hasn't resulted in playoffs or big wins you would normally see dissention in the team but they've stuck together. When you build a team like that, results will follow just look at the NFC North champion Lions this year. How many Lions fans wanted Dan Campbell gone in year 3? "Oh he's no Dan Campbell Rick!!!!" He very well could be! The point is that camaraderie, stability, and consistent belief matter, and that's what we have to see in the 2024 season. Point blank, you have to make the playoffs otherwise none of this matters. It only matters if the camaraderie and culture leads to progressive results.
NOW....the quarterback situation. I have racked my brain a million times to figure out if there's a comfortable decision that can be reached and quite frankly there isn't. I really do like Justin Fields but there's a lot of question marks still in play there. However, I place most of the blame on the Bears organization for what they've done in his 3 years with the Bears. You start him with Nagy who was an absolute disaster (and currently sabotaging the Chiefs), then you tear everything down and leave him with 0 talent on offense (leads to 3-14 season), then you try to transform him into a pocket passer when he is very clearly an out of the pocket/make plays happen in space guy, etc. I could go on for a while but they've done him a complete disservice and he's tried his best with what he's given. Is he the guy?? I really don't know man, but I'd like to see what it looks like with actual talent around him.
With the #1 pick we are either going to pick QB Caleb Williams and do this whole dance all over again or trade the #1 pick again for a haul and go forward with Fields. Again, I don't know what the answer is but I will say I trust GM Ryan Poles to make the right call. Listening to the press conference yesterday and since he started his tenure with the Bears you can tell he is meticulous, smart, and unbiased with how he comes to decisions. There's no ego with that guy and I think that's huge for this pressure filled moment. If he thinks Caleb Williams gives them a better chance to win he's going to take him, if he thinks the trade package is going to make them a better team then that's what he's going to do. And whichever way he does it, we have to ride as Bears fans.
The opportunity the Bears have this offseason is unbelievable and whichever way they decide the Fields/Williams situation to go, this team is going to be in a much better position then they have in the past 2 years; probably the last 5. Gun to my head what do I think Poles will do? I think he'll trade the #1 pick with either the Commanders, Patriots, Raiders, or Falcons. With a preference being with Washington or New England so he can take Marvin Harrison Jr. Then with the #9 pick I expect an O-Linemen. That's my hunch and I could be totally wrong but I like the idea of getting another haul and building from the draft (as Poles said in his introductory press conference).
So that's where we sit, as we get closer to free agency that will change a lot of things as well but these next 3 months are going to be a wild ride and I'm excited to see where Poles takes this thing. Don't be so pessimistic Bears fans! Good things are possible of happening! Right? I sure as hell hope so. BEAR DOWN!
-Peanut
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