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Baker Mayfield: Fire The Cannons

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Just tough to give Garrett that bonkers extension if you’re going to give Mack 5 years as well.

Years 1 and 2 would be golden, but the allocation of dollars into those two at similar positions would be tougher for the team in the long term.
They could have front loaded the majority of his money coming before 2022.
 
To be fair, I think what Lee is saying is that, if Trubisky develops into a guy who rarely makes mistakes and can extend plays with his legs, the Bears may have a shot.

Like, if Trubisky becomes the 16-18 best QB in the NFL, that Bears defense is dominant enough to have a shot.

ETA: I don’t think Trubisky will becomes that guy. His vision is not good enough nor is his arm.

Exactly. I think Trubisky will get better and be decent, just not elite.

I watched that Rams/Bears game last night and if anyone thinks an elite defense cannot win the Super Bowl still, I am sorry but I don't know what game you watched yesterday.

The issue is the Bears offense isn't good enough yet, but the Eagles just won a super bowl mainly on the defense skill and offense play calling. It wasn't a super QB who won the Super Bowl last year, and the two NFC playoff games their defense dominated.
 
Exactly. I think Trubisky will get better and be decent, just not elite.

I watched that Rams/Bears game last night and if anyone thinks an elite defense cannot win the Super Bowl still, I am sorry but I don't know what game you watched yesterday.

The issue is the Bears offense isn't good enough yet, but the Eagles just won a super bowl mainly on the defense skill and offense play calling. It wasn't a super QB who won the Super Bowl last year, and the two NFC playoff games their defense dominated.

I think the problem is that defenses tend to not remain elite for years on end. Look at the Eagles. Just one year later and their defense is nothing special. Now they're a .500 team. You just can't count on consistency on that end year to year. The Jags are another example. Absolutely elite defense last year that made them a playoff team despite shitty QB play. This year? Well, the defense is still good, but it's no longer elite and now they are out of the playoff picture and in the basement of their division.

The better your defense, the more expensive guys become. The more likely it is that other teams will sign them away. This saps away your depth, and from there any injuries are devastating.
 
I think the problem is that defenses tend to not remain elite for years on end. Look at the Eagles. Just one year later and their defense is nothing special. Now they're a .500 team. You just can't count on consistency on that end year to year. The Jags are another example. Absolutely elite defense last year that made them a playoff team despite shitty QB play. This year? Well, the defense is still good, but it's no longer elite and now they are out of the playoff picture and in the basement of their division.

The better your defense, the more expensive guys become. The more likely it is that other teams will sign them away. This saps away your depth, and from there any injuries are devastating.

Eagles were an anomaly as they were elite with out one truly elite guy. Ravens and Giants are more the mold where they had elite guys in Ray Lewis and Strahan or old Giants with LT. Heck even GB with Favre won more because of Reggie White and Desmond Howard than Favre although he had a good game.

Mack is that elite guy, put other good pro bowl level but not 1st all pro guys around them and a good defensive scheme and you have a 4-5 year window.

No its not as large of a window as having an elite QB like Brady, Peyton or Brees who have made their teams contenders for 10 years, but we aren't arguing how I would build a super bowl team, just if Chicago with Trubisky could ever be a contender, and I say yes, but their window is now as Mack is not getting younger at 27 years old.
 
I just think the league has really changed. With the offenses and QB's in the NFL, I really don't think you can win a super bowl like the Ravens did. Different era, different defensive rules.

Can you win a single game against a team like the Rams? Sure. Can you beat 3-4 teams in a row, with a good QB, playing someone like Trubisky? I just don't see it. The defense could play well but he's bound to shit himself 1 out of 4 times.....and you can't just game manage 3-4 games in a row like the Ravens could with Dilfer. Teams score too many points now.
I think Trubisky is better than Nick Foles and the Eagles pretty much did just this last year

Sometimes flukes happen. Foles got hot at the right time. Flacco got hot at the right time. These aren’t good QBs. But they had stretches at the right time where they were. Not sure I’d want to rest my hopes on a fluke though.
 
The other thing is defenses like Eagles and Jaguars lost a lot of turnover creation this summer. Eagles lost a lot of defenders (because $$$) and have mass injuries in their secondary.

What I love about the Bears' defense is it is not gimmicky and it does not rely on turnover creation. They force a lot of turnovers, sure, but those are a product of a pass rush that does not need to blitz to get sacks.

But I do agree on one point: defenses get expensive and are very difficult to maintain long-term. When Roquan Smith, Leonard Floyd, Kyle Fuller, Eddie Jackson, and Amos Jr. all become due for contracts, on top of what they're paying Khalil Mack, the Bears will need to make tough decisions. Hopefully Mack will be elite for many years to come, but if not, their window may be shorter than three years.

My gut, though, is that Mack stays elite for a long time and they build around him and Smith. Everyone else around them will rotate.
 
Eagles were an anomaly as they were elite with out one truly elite guy. Ravens and Giants are more the mold where they had elite guys in Ray Lewis and Strahan or old Giants with LT. Heck even GB with Favre won more because of Reggie White and Desmond Howard than Favre although he had a good game.

Mack is that elite guy, put other good pro bowl level but not 1st all pro guys around them and a good defensive scheme and you have a 4-5 year window.

No its not as large of a window as having an elite QB like Brady, Peyton or Brees who have made their teams contenders for 10 years, but we aren't arguing how I would build a super bowl team, just if Chicago with Trubisky could ever be a contender, and I say yes, but their window is now as Mack is not getting younger at 27 years old.

I think they can too, but I think their window is more in the 2-3 year range unless Trubisky really makes a leap forward.
 
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The other thing is defenses like Eagles and Jaguars lost a lot of turnover creation this summer. Eagles lost a lot of defenders (because $$$) and have mass injuries in their secondary.

What I love about the Bears' defense is it is not gimmicky and it does not rely on turnover creation. They force a lot of turnovers, sure, but those are a product of a pass rush that does not need to blitz to get sacks.

But I do agree on one point: defenses get expensive and are very difficult to maintain long-term. When Roquan Smith, Leonard Floyd, Kyle Fuller, Eddie Jackson, and Amos Jr. all become due for contracts, on top of what they're paying Khalil Mack, the Bears will need to make tough decisions. Hopefully Mack will be elite for many years to come, but if not, their window may be shorter than three years.

My gut, though, is that Mack stays elite for a long time and they build around him and Smith. Everyone else around them will rotate.

Mack is 27, not sure what long time is, but I say 5 years. They need to do big things this offseason to take 1 step more forward and become a true contender.

Chicago is close though, closer than many of us realize, but that window can shut quick.
 
Mack is 27, not sure what long time is, but I say 5 years. They need to do big things this offseason to take 1 step more forward and become a true contender.

Chicago is close though, closer than many of us realize, but that window can shut quick.
I actually think Chicago has a real road to the Super Bowl this year. Goff is not a good QB when facing the two-deep cover zone. That's what the Bears' run. It interrupts QB timing, especially for those who like quick passes, and forces them to wait a bit longer. Because of Mack, though, this is even more problematic. I have no problem believing the Bears beat the Rams again in the playoffs. This problem holds for the Cowboys too.

The big problem for Chicago will be New Orleans. Drew Brees will attack the middle of the field and let his receivers make plays. My guess is Chicago has to avoid them if they want to get to the Super Bowl.

NFL Playoffs are going to be damn amazing this year.
 
I've see a lot of ranking comparing Baker with Goff, Watson, and his peers in this draft class.

Where do people reckon Mitchell (Don't call me Mitch) Trubisky fits in the scheme of things? Is he worth drafting #2?

I may not be as high on Watson as others. He seems very inconsistent.

No way was Trubisky worth drafting number two overall when Watson and Mahomes, both of whom look significantly better, were drafted in that same first round after him. I just think that Trubisky is the kind of guy who is a total waste of a top ten pick. If you're using a top ten pick on a QB, in my opinion it needs to be someone with the ability to become a franchise QB, and I just don't see that with Trubisky.

Others have discussed this, but Trubisky is the kind of QB draft pick who ruins a franchise, because he's just good enough to not move on but not good enough to be the guy long-term. And there's a chance he'll play just well enough to trick you into giving him a massive extension, and you just can't pay big money to a guy who isn't a franchise QB if you want your team to remain relevant. It's tough enough to maintain relevance year over year with an elite QB on a monster deal. You're absolutely screwed if you give one to a guy like Bortles or Biscuit.
 
It wasn't a super QB who won the Super Bowl last year, and the two NFC playoff games their defense dominated.

Foles completed 73% of his passes on 323 yards per game and played near flawless football 3 times in a row (115 playoff rating). That's a 5,000 yard passing pace, extended over the course of a season. Maybe he isn't a super QB by name but he played at an elite level the entire post-season.

Did their defense play awesome? Yes. But saying they mainly won on defensive skill and play calling seems a little disingenuous. Especially with what we have seen from them this year. It's the same guy calling the plays isn't it?

I don't discount there are year to year anomalies but my argument was, it's hard for me to envision a QB like Trubisky playing that well 3 times in a row. Are there some lesser known guys like Foles, who may pass well above their ceiling and win? Sure. But they need to be capable of it. Foles is more of a journeyman guy but his 2013 season at least intimated he had it in him (119 rating in 13 games). To be capable of playing at a super bowl winning level.
 
Lmao it’s going to be the Cutler process all over again.
 
Foles completed 73% of his passes on 323 yards per game and played near flawless football 3 times in a row (115 playoff rating). That's a 5,000 yard passing pace, extended over the course of a season. Maybe he isn't a super QB by name but he played at an elite level the entire post-season.

Did their defense play awesome? Yes. But saying they mainly won on defensive skill and play calling seems a little disingenuous. Especially with what we have seen from them this year. It's the same guy calling the plays isn't it?

I don't discount there are year to year anomalies but my argument was, it's hard for me to envision a QB like Trubisky playing that well 3 times in a row. Are there some lesser known guys like Foles, who may pass well above their ceiling and win? Sure. But they need to be capable of it. Foles is more of a journeyman guy but his 2013 season at least intimated he had it in him (119 rating in 13 games). To be capable of playing at a super bowl winning level.

Frank Reich did a masterful job with the eagles offense last year, and has turned things around in Indy as Luck is having a great year.

Not saying Foles didn't play well, but he played within a system that worked for him and he got hot at the right time. I don't think Foles is the level of QB who keeps you a contender year after year is what I am saying.

There are a couple different ways to win a Super Bowl.
 
Yet another weekly reminder that the Browns were lucky not to throw the bank at Cousins.

He is a fraud. Surrounded by some of the finest weapons in all the NFL and he is worthless.
 

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