I’ve always held the belief that you need a top-tier QB to win consistently and that the Bears need to find theirs. I’ve changed my mind.
Look at the great-performing QBs around the league who are leading playoff caliber teams. Mahomes, Hurts, Allen, Herbert, Tua, Geno, Goff, Purdy, Lamar, Burrow, T Law.
The only QB on that entire list who’s consistently led a super bowl contending team year in and year out (regardless of ebbs amd flows with talent around him) is Mahomes. He’s the unicorn. And it’s hard to say Mahomes is fool-proof because he’s been in the perfect coaching situation his entire career.
Every other QB on that list has had huge ups and fairly big downs due to a variety of reasons. Coaching changes, lack of talent around him, injuries etc. I don’t think you can plug and play any of them (even though some are “proven” as great) and expect them to thrive.
The common denominator for success seems to be great coaching (and gm roster management) that works in concert with a talented/dedicated QB.
Which all leads me to say I think the Bears need to focus on finding a proven coach to install a proven system and keep Fields.
Hoping and praying that the next rookie QB is going to be “the one,” is the best way to the Bears right back to where they are right now.
You’re absolutely right and you explained it well enough for the non-galaxy brains to understand. It’s essentially a chicken and egg scenario, and I will definitively say that great surrounding cast (coaches, GM, skill positions, even defense/ST) leads to HoF QBs and not vice versa.
As someone who is a Fields fan, you still lost me in that last paragraph. Yes I think the coach is just as, if not more important. But Fields is damaged goods in Chicago. We are now in Week 8 and we have no genuine clue if he can get better. We have no clue if it’s coaching or it’s him.
You can’t be giving Fields some Daniel Jones sized extension on the HOPE a 3rd coaching staff would figure it out. Not when you’re going to likely have 2 Top 5 picks in May.
He hasn’t shown any signs of being damaged. Kid is tough.
I think it’s less risky to ride it out and try and shore up the coaching/organizational infrastructure first and keep Fields for now rather than draft another QB. It feels like a near certainty a rookie QB would end up being another bust unless a lot changes. This is all assuming a new staff would prefer to keep Fields…
You cannot give someone with his warts an long term extension. He has ONE game of over 300 yards passing. And he also has gotten injured a few times already as well
Remember all the Jordan Love hype or Brock Purdy hype? Both guys are starting to come crashing to the ground, Stroud will too when the Texans start playing somebody with a defense. Through six games the Texans have faced
Team Rank Pts
Ravens #2 9
Colts #22 20
Jags #26 37
Steelers #30 30
Falcons #3 19
Saints #4 20
Stroud is getting “fat” on bad defenses He’ll come to earth too. QB is a hard position. There are very few that get it in the first 2 or 3 years.