Bears 10.0: GM and coach watch before the draft

[NZB2323]

"Pro Football Focus recently shared their offensive line rankings, and the Bears fell in the bottom tier, ending the season with the 24th ranked offensive line out of 32 teams."

So yes, the line was bad.

Unless the Chiefs put the franchise tag on him the Bears should go all out to sign Trey Smith. Pro Bowl caliber and still pretty young. Then Draft LT in Round 1 and a Center and an EDGE in Round 2. Kelvin Banks and Jake Majors from Texas, And maybe look at Shemar Stewart from Texas A&M for EDGE with one of the two 2nd Round picks.

I agree, but I'm just curious. Why do you capitalize all the letters in EDGE? It's not an acronym for something, is it?

[jnrjr79]

That's fine and all, but then you can't say their process is broken or looks bad because they are taking the time to leave no stone unturned to ensure they have all of the information to make the best decision. It's not like every team has hired a coach and the Bears are left standing.

If you're doing that, then you are pretty much admitting that until you see them winning X amount of games, they're doing it wrong. In that situation i would advise not following the coaching search as closely as you are because it sounds like you're going to be disappointed severely until you see results.

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To me, with the Bears very obviously being interested in Ben Johnson, I cannot understand the criticism of doing a bunch of interviews. There's nothing they can do re: Johnson right now, and it's unclear when they'll be able to try to hire him, given we don't know when the Lions will lose. Why the heck wouldn't you spend your time gathering as much intel as possible and having backup candidates sorted out?

I totally get the instinct to just presume everything the Bears do is stupid, because they have a track record that supports that. But it's better to not just reflexively think that and actually try to evaluate what they are doing.

[1985Bear]

they were decimated by injury and purdy is an excellent QB

Dice, i like your analytical pragmatic approach, but always based on the past so would love to see your predictive models.

“Purdy is an excellent QB” - so what contract should the 49ers give him? What would your plan be for him?

I think he is totally scheme driven and many QBs would succeed there.

could be, but will the scheme be changing over the course of his next contract?

the reason there is a "next man up" for richest contract for QBs is because QBs are underpaid. if the niners can get away w/ not paying him that much they're ahead of the game

What contract is fair for Purdy?


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[nitetrain8603]

That's fine and all, but then you can't say their process is broken or looks bad because they are taking the time to leave no stone unturned to ensure they have all of the information to make the best decision. It's not like every team has hired a coach and the Bears are left standing.

If you're doing that, then you are pretty much admitting that until you see them winning X amount of games, they're doing it wrong. In that situation i would advise not following the coaching search as closely as you are because it sounds like you're going to be disappointed severely until you see results.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

To me, with the Bears very obviously being interested in Ben Johnson, I cannot understand the criticism of doing a bunch of interviews. There's nothing they can do re: Johnson right now, and it's unclear when they'll be able to try to hire him, given we don't know when the Lions will lose. Why the heck wouldn't you spend your time gathering as much intel as possible and having backup candidates sorted out?

I totally get the instinct to just presume everything the Bears do is stupid, because they have a track record that supports that. But it's better to not just reflexively think that and actually try to evaluate what they are doing.

Exactly. That's all I'm saying. For all we know they are putting in contingency plans just in case Ben doesn't come onboard. Or maybe they are interviewing candidates for coordinator positions as well if they are working under Johnson or a Carroll or someone else they like.

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[Dresden]

"Pro Football Focus recently shared their offensive line rankings, and the Bears fell in the bottom tier, ending the season with the 24th ranked offensive line out of 32 teams."

So yes, the line was bad.

Unless the Chiefs put the franchise tag on him the Bears should go all out to sign Trey Smith. Pro Bowl caliber and still pretty young. Then Draft LT in Round 1 and a Center and an EDGE in Round 2. Kelvin Banks and Jake Majors from Texas, And maybe look at Shemar Stewart from Texas A&M for EDGE with one of the two 2nd Round picks.

I agree, but I'm just curious. Why do you capitalize all the letters in EDGE? It's not an acronym for something, is it?

Every Down Get Everett?

[Jcool0]

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[Jcool0]

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[biggestbullsfan]

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[Betta Bulleavit]

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I think a good part of that perception is due in large part to the number of candidates that they are interviewing/requesting interviews with.

For me personally, I’m not a huge fan of this approach because it’s almost a certainty that at least half of the people that you are interviewing aren’t serious candidates. So why waste that time. With that said, I’ve been acquainted with people that like interviewing broader groups even when they know who they really want. Not so much to find a better candidate. But to confirm (or fortify) their belief in the candidate that they know they really want.

Also, with regards to the number of candidates, it looks to be as follows:

Bears - 15
Jets - 17
Jags - 10
Saints -10
Raiders - 7
Patriots -6 (they’re obviously done now)
Cowboys - TBD

Yes, the Bears number is relatively high. But they aren’t the only team in the double digit zone.

[fleet]

That's fine and all, but then you can't say their process is broken or looks bad because they are taking the time to leave no stone unturned to ensure they have all of the information to make the best decision. It's not like every team has hired a coach and the Bears are left standing.

If you're doing that, then you are pretty much admitting that until you see them winning X amount of games, they're doing it wrong. In that situation i would advise not following the coaching search as closely as you are because it sounds like you're going to be disappointed severely until you see results.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

To me, with the Bears very obviously being interested in Ben Johnson, I cannot understand the criticism of doing a bunch of interviews. There's nothing they can do re: Johnson right now, and it's unclear when they'll be able to try to hire him, given we don't know when the Lions will lose. Why the heck wouldn't you spend your time gathering as much intel as possible and having backup candidates sorted out?

I totally get the instinct to just presume everything the Bears do is stupid, because they have a track record that supports that. But it's better to not just reflexively think that and actually try to evaluate what they are doing.

It’s hard to evaluate exactly what they are doing without more information. At this point it looks quite a bit unfocused and directionless to the point where it’s actually becoming intentional based on what they expect to lose out on. But don’t have all the information, which we most likely will get soon in the second round. My main concern is they are planning for not landing the top tier candidates. There’s no reason they can’t actually beat out the competition for Ben Johnson unless they choose to have other priorities. I do expect that if they hired someone like Mike McCarthy, they have some idea that some of these guys are on his list for OC hires, and they are getting a jump on that. Which is fine in that aspect.

[fleet]

Read on Twitter

Dave Wannstedt sounded depressed about it actually. Nothing he has ever seen in his experience before. And he said people he is in contact with are like WTF.

[sco]

That's fine and all, but then you can't say their process is broken or looks bad because they are taking the time to leave no stone unturned to ensure they have all of the information to make the best decision. It's not like every team has hired a coach and the Bears are left standing.

If you're doing that, then you are pretty much admitting that until you see them winning X amount of games, they're doing it wrong. In that situation i would advise not following the coaching search as closely as you are because it sounds like you're going to be disappointed severely until you see results.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

To me, with the Bears very obviously being interested in Ben Johnson, I cannot understand the criticism of doing a bunch of interviews. There's nothing they can do re: Johnson right now, and it's unclear when they'll be able to try to hire him, given we don't know when the Lions will lose. Why the heck wouldn't you spend your time gathering as much intel as possible and having backup candidates sorted out?

I totally get the instinct to just presume everything the Bears do is stupid, because they have a track record that supports that. But it's better to not just reflexively think that and actually try to evaluate what they are doing.

It’s hard to evaluate exactly what they are doing without more information. At this point it looks quite a bit unfocused and directionless to the point where it’s actually becoming intentional based on what they expect to lose out on. But don’t have all the information, which we most likely will get soon in the second round. My main concern is they are planning for not landing the top tier candidates. There’s no reason they can’t actually beat out the competition for Ben Johnson unless they choose to have other priorities. I do expect that if they hired someone like Mike McCarthy, they have some idea that some of these guys are on his list for OC hires, and they are getting a jump on that. Which is fine in that aspect.

Count me in the camp of thinking this is Warren being more "adminstrative guy" than "football guy". IMO, the less you know, the more indecisive you will likely be. Now if the Bears wanted to up the count in order to give more minorities a chance to interview, I have no problem with that; however, it doesn't seem to be the case there. There is also the narrative that they are interviewing so many guys because they are having trouble finding a guy who Poles, McCaskey and Warren all like, which should yield the lowest-common-denominator coach (aka another 2 year coach).

I personally don't want Johnson. He might be fine, but I've seen enough from guys who haven't head coached before.

[Jcool0]

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I think a good part of that perception is due in large part to the number of candidates that they are interviewing/requesting interviews with.

For me personally, I’m not a huge fan of this approach because it’s almost a certainty that at least half of the people that you are interviewing aren’t serious candidates. So why waste that time. With that said, I’ve been acquainted with people that like interviewing broader groups even when they know who they really want. Not so much to find a better candidate. But to confirm (or fortify) their belief in the candidate that they know they really want.

Also, with regards to the number of candidates, it looks to be as follows:

Bears - 15
Jets - 17
Jags - 10
Saints -10
Raiders - 7
Patriots -6 (they’re obviously done now)
Cowboys - TBD

Yes, the Bears number is relatively high. But they aren’t the only team in the double digit zone.

'I think your numbers might be off. Bears had 20 candidates.

[panthermark]

Read on Twitter

I think a good part of that perception is due in large part to the number of candidates that they are interviewing/requesting interviews with.

For me personally, I’m not a huge fan of this approach because it’s almost a certainty that at least half of the people that you are interviewing aren’t serious candidates. So why waste that time. With that said, I’ve been acquainted with people that like interviewing broader groups even when they know who they really want. Not so much to find a better candidate. But to confirm (or fortify) their belief in the candidate that they know they really want.

Also, with regards to the number of candidates, it looks to be as follows:

Bears - 15
Jets - 17
Jags - 10
Saints -10
Raiders - 7
Patriots -6 (they’re obviously done now)
Cowboys - TBD

Yes, the Bears number is relatively high. But they aren’t the only team in the double digit zone.

The Bears are higher than 15 when you include requested interviews.
https://bearswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bears/2025/01/14/bears-head-coach-tracker-who-interviewed-scheduled/77691874007/
I think they are at 19 if Thomas is included.

[Dresden]

The 33rd Team
@The33rdTeamFB
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Every QB this season with 3,500+ Pass Yards, 20+ Pass TDs and an INT% less than 1.5%

Lamar Jackson
Josh Allen
Justin Herbert
Joe Burrow
Caleb Williams

[panthermark]

The interview process feels bungled. I would love to give them the benefit of the doubt, but they have not earned it.

This FEELS like over-compensation for being called out on NOT interviewing Kevin O'Connell.
But if that is the case, they are still missing the point. The issue isn't the total number of candidates and they just didn't interview enough in 2022. The issue is WHY such a good candidate was not included in the interview process. What was the flaw in the selection criteria, and has THAT been addressed? Is it ownerships condition of nice guys that don't curse?

It FEELS like the Bears don't know what they are looking for, but don't want to be perceived as not doing due diligence.
Wide net = good
blind fishing expedition = bad

[jnrjr79]

Read on Twitter

I think a good part of that perception is due in large part to the number of candidates that they are interviewing/requesting interviews with.

For me personally, I’m not a huge fan of this approach because it’s almost a certainty that at least half of the people that you are interviewing aren’t serious candidates. So why waste that time. With that said, I’ve been acquainted with people that like interviewing broader groups even when they know who they really want. Not so much to find a better candidate. But to confirm (or fortify) their belief in the candidate that they know they really want.

Also, with regards to the number of candidates, it looks to be as follows:

Bears - 15
Jets - 17
Jags - 10
Saints -10
Raiders - 7
Patriots -6 (they’re obviously done now)
Cowboys - TBD

Yes, the Bears number is relatively high. But they aren’t the only team in the double digit zone.

Re: the bolded, some of these guys that are getting HC interviews could also be in the mix for coordinator positions in the offseason.

[jnrjr79]

That's fine and all, but then you can't say their process is broken or looks bad because they are taking the time to leave no stone unturned to ensure they have all of the information to make the best decision. It's not like every team has hired a coach and the Bears are left standing.

If you're doing that, then you are pretty much admitting that until you see them winning X amount of games, they're doing it wrong. In that situation i would advise not following the coaching search as closely as you are because it sounds like you're going to be disappointed severely until you see results.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

To me, with the Bears very obviously being interested in Ben Johnson, I cannot understand the criticism of doing a bunch of interviews. There's nothing they can do re: Johnson right now, and it's unclear when they'll be able to try to hire him, given we don't know when the Lions will lose. Why the heck wouldn't you spend your time gathering as much intel as possible and having backup candidates sorted out?

I totally get the instinct to just presume everything the Bears do is stupid, because they have a track record that supports that. But it's better to not just reflexively think that and actually try to evaluate what they are doing.

It’s hard to evaluate exactly what they are doing without more information. At this point it looks quite a bit unfocused and directionless to the point where it’s actually becoming intentional based on what they expect to lose out on. But don’t have all the information, which we most likely will get soon in the second round. My main concern is they are planning for not landing the top tier candidates. There’s no reason they can’t actually beat out the competition for Ben Johnson unless they choose to have other priorities. I do expect that if they hired someone like Mike McCarthy, they have some idea that some of these guys are on his list for OC hires, and they are getting a jump on that. Which is fine in that aspect.

If Ben Johnson is in a tier all to himself for the Bears, then they are doing exactly what they should be doing by having fallback candidates lined up. And if they are potentially waiting for Johnson through the Super Bowl, it makes sense to have interviewed a lot of people, since some of the fallback options are going to be scooped up before the Bears make a hire.

[Dresden]

The interview process feels bungled. I would love to give them the benefit of the doubt, but they have not earned it.

This FEELS like over-compensation for being called out on NOT interviewing Kevin O'Connell.
But if that is the case, they are still missing the point. The issue isn't the total number of candidates and they just didn't interview enough in 2022. The issue is WHY such a good candidate was not included in the interview process. What was the flaw in the selection criteria, and has THAT been addressed? Is it ownerships condition of nice guys that don't curse?

It FEELS like the Bears don't know what they are looking for, but don't want to be perceived as not doing due diligence.
Wide net = good
blind fishing expedition = bad

but as we don't really know one way or the other what's going on, why pass judgement on it?

[Betta Bulleavit]

Read on Twitter

I think a good part of that perception is due in large part to the number of candidates that they are interviewing/requesting interviews with.

For me personally, I’m not a huge fan of this approach because it’s almost a certainty that at least half of the people that you are interviewing aren’t serious candidates. So why waste that time. With that said, I’ve been acquainted with people that like interviewing broader groups even when they know who they really want. Not so much to find a better candidate. But to confirm (or fortify) their belief in the candidate that they know they really want.

Also, with regards to the number of candidates, it looks to be as follows:

Bears - 15
Jets - 17
Jags - 10
Saints -10
Raiders - 7
Patriots -6 (they’re obviously done now)
Cowboys - TBD

Yes, the Bears number is relatively high. But they aren’t the only team in the double digit zone.

The Bears are higher than 15 when you include requested interviews.
https://bearswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bears/2025/01/14/bears-head-coach-tracker-who-interviewed-scheduled/77691874007/
I think they are at 19 if Thomas is included.

I was actually working off of the information that I found here.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-coaching-requests-hires-full-list-of-teams-and-names-being-pursued-173222847.html