Chicago Bears 2024
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Schultz: Jaylon Johnson, Bears Agree to 4-Year, $76M Contract After Franchise Tag
Jaylon Johnson will remain a franchise cornerstone for the Chicago Bears for more than just the upcoming season. Chicago and the cornerback agreed to a new…
bleacherreport.com
I know right? I would love to get the haul for the #1 pick. OTOH if they take the haul, load up, and after 8 games Fields is still dancing around behind the line of scrimmage trying to figure out what to do next, I will be so possed iff that they didn't get a QB! I'm not hard to please.
After the LeBron > MJ comments Fields is dead to me. You don't say that unless you know you're on your way out of Chicago.
Looks like Maye's dropping, McCarthy rising; can still trade Fields, trade down from one, grab a QB, and get an historical haul.
Alternatively it could be that he was 4 years old when MJ retired and grew up with LeBron as the face of greatness in the NBA.
That's crazy talk!
James could play until he's 80 and score 100,000 points and he STILL wouldn't be a good as Jordan.... 6 Titles in 8 years and doing so in spectacular fashion. (And he could have easily had two or three more without the side trip to baseball and the Bulls Dynasty group being deliberately broken up by Bulls management).
James will never get there. Jordan had superior ball skills and mentality. Jordan paved the way for an NBA player to be a larger-than-life World figure.
James is a unique talent unto himself. But the Association has seen lots of unique talents unto themselves. He simply does not and can not elevate a team like Jordan did. Only one guy can be The Best. The GOAT.
And Fields doesn't always show good judgment anyway. He had said that he wants to stay in Chicago. Sorry, that doesn't work for either party. Fields has a better future somewhere else and the Bears will be better off by moving on from him.
Would love to hear Jordan talk privately when he hears the nonsense about James being better. But I think we have a pretty good idea of what The GOAT would say to that.
I would also have you consider that LeBron is an Ohio State fan and has at least tweeted positively about Justin, if they haven't actually met.
Frankly, it's not difficult to make an objective argument in LeBron's favor. Jordan's highs were higher, but LeBron has been consistently great for two decades. 10 straight finals in the expansion era. (no breaks) His counting stats are unparalleled. When Jordan was LeBron's current age, he was playing out the stretch for the last time on a bad Wizards team. LeBron is still easily a top 20 player. Who knows how long he can keep it going?
I think there is definitely a LeBron fatigue among sports fans, which costs him in the debate. He's made some massive PR blunders that Jordan was careful to avoid, though there was a lot less access to stars in those days. If there had been cell phone cameras in Bulls practices MJ may not have been able to keep his squeaky-clean image as long as he did.
It's a fun debate, and one that I think is closer than most. Though a tough one to win when one of the guy's names is synonymous with being the best. He's literally "the Michael Jordan of" basketball players.
One game for my life? I'm taking late 90's MJ. Best player I've ever seen.
Sorry... out of the weeds and back to the Bears... I am super glad they got the deal done with Johnson. He's a legit #1 CB and is only 25. Those aren't easy to find.
There is another key difference between these two players. A difference that I have paid great attention to over my years of playing and watching roundball.
I judge a guy's character by how he reacts when things are NOT going well. That identifies a big difference between a Winner and a Not-Such-a-Winner.
When things are going sideways or downhill on the court... Jordan got MAD. Then maybe madder if the situation called for that. But he almost always stayed in control and channeled that anger and turned it into something positive. And as a teammate you know you had better get the hell on the ball fast or your were in serious trouble.
Players like James (are) and Bryant (was) a POUTER. That shows a difference in maturity. Crying and flailing arms around many times.
Jordan's character is more mature than James or Bryant or lots of other 'greats' over the years who were missing this key ingredient.
'Winners' like Jordan get mad and demand more of themselves and their team mates. Players like James look frustrated and get a pouty look on their faces and they act like they are blaming their teammates rather than trying to lift them up.
I have seen this for many years. And at all levels of ball... from the playground blacktops to NBA arenas.
And the biggest source of frustration for both James and Bryant will always be that both of them desperately wanted to be seen as superior to Jordan. And can't be. Jordan is the measuring stick. And the other guys know that in their hearts.
The point is that he would be smart enough to keep that to himself while playing in Chicago. Regardless of how he feels underneath.
kep in mind, if we trade down we might also have a top 5 pick next year.
Exactly!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone isn't calling it a haul for no reason. Still Fields dancing around in the pocket gives me nightmares. I would do the "Why don't we do both" thing, but that isn't possible.
Alternatively, a trade down to draft Maye or McCarthy would allow them to keep Fields and still get the haul. They would have a true competition at QB, another season to assess Fields on his current contract I think, and be able to sort out the QB position after next season. On the other hand, if Williams turns out to be Mahomes, it would probably cost Poles his job.
I don't think you can draft any QB in the 1st and keep Fields. It would be detrimental to the development of both. The youngster will need reps in practice, and so would Fields. You would be using a ton of cap space on that position, and still have a QB controversy. Both guys would constantly be looking over their shoulder if they made a mistake. There is already going to be enough pressure on whomever is under center to win games. The Bears need to settle on a QB and throw 100% of their resources behind one guy, or no one has a chance.
Green freakin Bay has done it a couple of times, but they sat their draftee behind a HOFer.
Just a thought. I tend to agree with you.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
The hated Packers have done it. KC did it too. It used to be the norm that the rookie QB sit for a year. It all comes down to what QB do you really believe is the best. If it is Williams, you need to draft him. If not sold on him, prefer someone else, trade down.
The Packers have had the good fortune to have HOF QB's on the roster when they drafted 1st round QB's. There was never a QB controversy while Favre or Rodgers were established. The next guy only got a shot when the old guy was gone.
Mahomes kind of slipped under the radar because, though he was a 1st round pick, he wasn't a big name. His Texas Tech teams were mediocre & scouts weren't in love with him. Chiefs had Alex Smith and were a playoff team. I recall a lot of folks wondering if they had lost their minds giving the job to Mahomes & letting Smith walk, when they had been winning with Smith.
Again, the Bears don't have that luxury.
I'd rather have the QB who is worth a haul than the QB who isn't. Caleb Williams is the haul.
Nobody is developing Fields anymore. Not the Bears. Not any team that might trade for him. It’s his 4th year and the last guaranteed year of his contract. He’s a bridge qb for the “next guy” no matter where he plays this year.
Hope you're right; looks like we'll find out.
Drafting a QB and having him sit a year behind Alex Smith or Aaron Rodgers is not the same as sitting behind Justin Fields....
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
Don't forget Favre. Rodgers sat for a few years and there was a controversy.
So what if they sign Kirk Cousins, but tell him to keep it under his hat until they trade for the Haul? They have a QB who they know is good, they have a team around him, and even some extra picks next year.
I realize that there are different ways to rate a QB, but this ESPN total QBR has Cousins 7th and Fields 23rd. Hopefully I am attaching it now.
www.espn.com
I realize that there are different ways to rate a QB, but this ESPN total QBR has Cousins 7th and Fields 23rd. Hopefully I am attaching it now.
2023 NFL Season Leaders Total QBR | ESPN
Visit ESPN to view NFL Total QBR for the current and previous seasons
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