Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
It really pissed me off when they drafted Enis while Tra Thomas was sitting there for the taking.
Chicago Bears 2025-2026
- Status
Wait, what's this about Santa, now?
Who was that DL from San Jose state that could jump out a pool? Wasn't he a 1st round pick? Awful......
Jarron Gilbert, 3rd round 2009
FlyNavy
- Los Angeles
I consider Trubisky a top-10 bust given he went #2 - you should expect an all-pro at that draft position, not a career backup. But hard to argue with anyone on the list, lots of misses over the years (and quite a few that just missed the cut).
Not-so-fun fact: Included in the picks that the Bears gave to the 49ers to trade up from #3 to #2 in 2017 were two third-round picks (2017 and 2018). The 2017 3rd round pick was traded to the Saints who used it to draft Alvin Kamara. The 2018 3rd round pick was used to draft Fred Warner.
I considered him. And Fields.
Curbelo Fanboy
BERTBALL IS LIFE
To think there were people still this past offseason saying they still wish we had Fields. Caleb isn't a finished product yet but he is galaxies ahead of either Trubisky or Fields.
You know its been bad if Gabe Carimi can't crack this list. Traded for a 6th round pick 2 years after being drafted.
There was no price too high for Ryan Pace
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
One is tempted to wonder what the outcome might have looked like had Trubisky or Fields gotten the benefit of working with Ben Johnson though.
In the age old debate of whether great QB's exist on draft day or whether they are a product of pro development, watching this season has nudged me a little further toward the pro development side.
News article reports an Indiana legislator has introduced legislation to serve as a vehicle for funding a Bears stadium in northwestern Indiana. As I only but religiously watch the Bears on tv and have not attended a game in person in decades, (as opposed to Cubs, Bulls, Blackhawks, Fire, Illini football, MBB, WBB and volleyball - I’ve even attended a White Sox game in person) is it wrong for me to be OK with Indiana taxpayers spending billions of dollars to assist my viewing games in a new stadium, money I am not willing to spend myself as an Illinois taxpayer? I live in Springfield and socialize with enough legislators and high level government staffers to believe that if Bears management thinks they can bluff and bully legislative action from the State of Illinois by threatening them with Indiana money they are dumber than they appear to be.
mattcoldagelli
- Script Illinois Enthusiast
I - like many others - have a kneejerk reaction against anything being in Indiana, but....right. The Giants and Jets have always played in New Jersey. The Chiefs are moving across a stateline. Who really cares? Football stadiums aren't ballparks...they're behemoths that get used maybe 10 times a year. The "but we'll have Super Bowls!" thing is a canard - a new stadium would get one (1) and then they'd be back in their Miami-LA-New Orleans-Arizona rotation (which is also fine...the game is in February!)
People are focused on the building of the stadium, and - commendably - the Bears aren't asking for public money on that. But they're basically looking to get out of paying future taxes, which kneecaps the entire incentive structure for Arlington Heights or the state to want them there. If Indiana is willing to take a bath on it, have fun.
a modern indoor football stadium can and often does get utilized year round for things other than football
see Jones Dome
there is potential for it to be as busy as Jones leases out his . if the Bears are serious about developing commercial activity around it , they will need events to drive people there .
see Jones Dome
there is potential for it to be as busy as Jones leases out his . if the Bears are serious about developing commercial activity around it , they will need events to drive people there .
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
What goes on at the old Edward Jones Dome these days?
I assume it's a gigantic financial albatross for whatever public entity owns the bonds, and that's for a quite well-located venue without significant competition in its major metro area.
The Arlington Heights stadium is a bad idea, but a NW Indiana stadium is transparently an order of magnitude worse. It's never going to happen and everyone on both sides of the border know it. It's just a pathetic charade to try to squeeze public money out of Illinois for the Arlington Heights project which has been the only and guaranteed destination from day 1 of this saga.
band camp
- STL City
Dome is a dump, putting it nicely.
Ive worked in and out of there for the last 25 years. Its all !!!!. And the more monster jams and moto cross they have just make it worse. There's dust from the 90s on all catwalk surfaces and structure above the cats. I cant rig in there anymore, because I am sick for days post rig.
And also, its a huge financial albatross as Gritty lays out. STL city/county is not in a great spot.
Its my great hope Illini v mizzou football is not played at the dome.
In Indianapolis, Lucas Oil is used somewhat frequently. State marching band finals, Bands of America national marching band competitions, Drum and Bugle Corps competitions, college football events, college basketball events, along with the usual tractor pulls and junk. But every profit dollar from every event (concessions, parking, etc.) goes to .... the Indianapolis Colts.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Benson is too high, he was a good player whose opportunities as a Bear were limited because Thomas Jones was also really good and more what that team needed. Enis, Terrell and McClellin were WAY worse and had no further career of any note after the Bears gave up on them.
knowing that a brand new stadium on the lakefront is a non starter for many parties in this , if Arlington Heights & NW Indiana are both bad ideas , what is a good idea for a new location ?
I think Gary is terrible , but actually think AH makes as much sense as anywhere else in the suburbs - as I just don’t know of any city sites that remotely qualify
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
The fact that the parties can't agree on a way to divvy the money up and deliver the project in the right way doesn't change the fact that the lakefront is by FAR the most economically robust spot, and with a more forward-thinking redevelopment of the infrastructure in that area generally could be a huge boon to all parties.
Vote for me for Mayor in 2027 and the Bears loss will be the White Sox, and the city's, gain.
Curbelo Fanboy
BERTBALL IS LIFE
No doubt it is some of both. There are some requisite skills that the QB has to possess.
The biggest flaw Fields had was his lack of ability to read a defense. I remember it seemed every week there was a screenshot after the game of a play where he missed someone wide open 20 yards downfield. Not missed the throw, didn't make the throw cause he didn't see him. That is near inexcusable at the NFL level. You can't just not see a guy wide open.
Trubisky was actually pretty solid in 2018 pre injury. When he came back late in the year it was like they were trying to keep him in bubble wrap & not let him scramble. That was one of his biggest strengths. And his coaching staff took that away from him.
Even last off season in his first pre season, I saw Caleb make a few throws that were like WOW type of plays. You could tell early on he has the god given stuff to be great. He clearly got awful coaching last year (not even close to just league average coaching). I think Ben is on the highly advanced level of QB coaching based on the early returns. Caleb has a lot of skill to work with & has some of that "you can't teach" kind of stuff (4th quarter moxy being one of those things). Not a finished product by any means but pretty good already with lots of room for growth.
It most likely won't happen this year due to the limitations on the defense but that duo will win a Super Bowl barring injury or some other unforeseen sometime in the next few years. I'm a homer but not usually prone to wild optimism. Ben is awful good & Caleb seems to have that IT factor that all of the really great ones possess. What they are doing this year is only advancing the timeline of when it could happen. If the front office addresses the defense in a tangible way this offseason they are in the mix of top 5 teams to beat for the Super Bowl as soon as next season IMO.
Honorable Mention should be trading the #11 pick in 1997 for 3 starts from Rick Mirer.
There are busts and then there are BUSTS. Trubisky didn’t live up to his draft position. But he has thrown for 13,000 yards 70+ TDs, made a Pro-Bowl and is still in the League. See also Tim Couch or Joey Harrington.
Compare to Cade McNown, Jamarcus Russell, or Akili Smith. Top picks who couldn’t even get on the field and were out of the League before their rookie contracts were up.
And looking back on this thread, it’s utterly sickening the Bears spent two top 12 picks on QBs from 97-99 and got literally nothing at all out of them. What does that 2001 team look like if it had merely above average qb’ing?
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Eh, the real problem is that the Bears took a QB in the first round only twice between 1988 and 2016. They neglected the most important position in football.
Used overall picks #1, 2 and 11 on QB's over the succeeding eight years, and lo and behold the QB situation is in a stronger position.
- Status