Sugashane Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Like usual this isn’t what I think Pace will do, just a mock I am doing- While I am not a believer in Nagy as a playcaller, I will readily admit he is a solid HC and can design plays that really should be able to take advantage of defensive tendencies. In this mock we will assume Tru was the biggest cause for the offensive struggles (which isn’t a huge stretch) and a crap OL was second to that (I fully agree) So let’s say Pace and Nagy feel the heat of a miserable season (by expectations at least), and feel like they are forced to win now. Time to swing for the fences and assume you’re going to right the ship. Starting at $24 mil cap. Here is what I would do to try and win now. - Call WAS and speak with them, let them know we are interested in trading for Alex Smith, request to see Smith and have my medical staff review his documentation from all his surgeries (17 reported surgeries! Holy crap!) and to have my medical staff fully check him out. He has been seen throwing the ball around in some pregames, so it isn't out of the question that he will play again, even if he does become a more pure pocket passer. - If he checks out and he should be able to play in 2020 I try to make a move for him. WAS isn't going to eat $32 mil in dead cap, but between Smith and Williams you have $35.9 million that aren't going to play for you in 2020 (they aren't benching Haskins to go to Smith). So we negotiate with the players, and upon the trade being agreed they restructure their deals with WAS to remove any and all dead cap and then a sign and trade with us, and we sign them to the pre-agreed amounts. Smith gets 3 years $48 mil with $32 mil guaranteed, and Williams gets 3 years $39 mil, fully guaranteed. WAS has a laundry list of needs - EDGE, OT, CB, WR, LB, IOL. We work with that and offer 2 draft picks over 2 years. Our first 2nd rounder this year and a conditional pick for 2021 (base of a 4th, goes to a 3rd if we make the postseason, and goes to a 2nd if we make the Super Bowl). They are going to get to pick between Chase Young, Wills, and Thomas. I expect them to snare Young. - So I offer them Floyd, Amukamara, Gabriel, Daniels, early 2020 2nd pick, and the conditional 2021 pick. If they decline then I drop it to Floyd and the 2nd round pick. Let's assume they are sick of Williams' refusal to play for them and want to avoid the Cousins fiasco again, so they take the trade and now have EDGE (known draft pick), LB (Floyd is a good off-ball LB, they can renegotiate his deal), and IOL taken care of (Daniels is a promising player still and super cheap), and WR corps has a deep threat added for Haskins to take advantage of (since he can potentially hit an open receiver 20 yards downfield) and CB has a body to hold the fort down so they don't have to force a pick there. They can try to replace Williams with one of their 2nd round picks. They were at $46 mil and then jumped to $81ish million in cap space due to the restructure/sign/trade with us, so they can easily afford the guys and then some. It takes away a lot of the risk in free agency too since they aren't fighting for the players in the open market, so while they are losing Williams they saved a ton of money, have Haskins for QB, and get Young. As far as rebuilding the franchise that is a hell of a start. So now Chicago has a real QB for the current regime that gives Nagy his best chance to prove he wasn't a big reason for the offensive failures in the last 2 years. They have the LT that dramatically improves the OL in Williams, Leno or Massie will play RT and the other will kick in to OG for their last year in Chicago (and will act as swing OT potentially). After trading away the above-listed players the cap is at about $51 mil Bears receive - QB Alex Smith – 3 years, $48 million, $32 mil guaranteed – 12/17/19 (Cap at $39 mil) LT Williams – 3 years, $39 million, $39 mil guaranteed – 9/14.5/14.5 (Cap at $30 mil) Immediate moves – Extending ARob – 4 years, $60 million, $32 million guaranteed added to deal 11/14/14/17/19 He has been the lone person on the offense to shine for us, I want to see him top the Bears’ receiving records when he retires. (Cap is now $35 mil) Extend Patterson – 2 years, $6.25 mil, $7 mil guaranteed added. Now is 3/4/5 He has been a stellar as a returner and adds depth to RB and WR. If Castillo can get the OL to block worth a damn he adds value to both and is the best blocking WR for screens we have. (Cap is $37.75 mil) Cut Shaheen – saves $1.2 mil Let’s face it, he blows. I’d cut him if it didn’t save a cent at this point. (Cap is $38.95mil) Cut O’Donnell – saves $1.750 mil I’d be willing to throw a late pick or have two competing UDFA go for this spot. (Cap is $40.7 mil) After trades, extensions, and cuts the Bears cap is at $40.7 mil Re-Signings - ILB Trevathan at 2 years, $10 mil with $7.5 mil guaranteed at 4/6 (down to $36.7 mil) - LB Kwiatkoski at 4 years, $18 mil with $13 guaranteed at 3/4/6/5 (down to $33.7 mil) (can play base OLB while JPP passrushes and provides insurance in case Smith or DT go down) - S Bush to 2 years, $7 mil fully guaranteed at 2.5/4.5 (down to $31.2 mil) - OT Lucas to a 1 year, $1.5 mil (Cap to $29.7 mil) - LB Piere-Louis to a 1 year 1.5 mil deal (Cap to $28.2mil) - LS Scales to 3 years, $3 mil deal (Cap to $27.2 mil) - TE/FB Holtz to 3 year, $4 mil deal (Cap to $26.2 mil) - C Larsen to 1 year, $1 mil deal (Cap to $25.2 mil) Free Agency Cap is at $25.2 mil prior to free agency - Sign Jason Pierre Paul to a 3 year, $27 mil deal with $18 mil guaranteed at 7/9/11 (down to $18.2 mil) JPP balled out in limited action last year. It is well known he is more concerned with hitting QBs than he is RBs. Fine, he will get to jump into that role and stay fairly fresh as Kwiatkoski rotates in heavily on passing downs and formations, letting him stay fresh to pin his ears back. Between Mack, Hicks, and JPP there should be plenty of passrush. - Sign Osemele for 2 years, $12 mil with $6 mil guaranteed at 5/7 (down to $12.2 mil) We need a culture change on the OL and Osemele will provide the veteran leadership to couple with Williams. These two offer significant upgrades over Leno and Long. Osemele has never been a terrific athlete but he is a damn bruiser and should be able to really add some nastiness we are missing on the inside. - TE Fells for 2 years, $3.75 mil with $2 mil guaranteed 1/2.75 (Down to $11.2mil) Fells adds size to the TE corps, so he can stay on the line and do the dirty work for cheap. Burton can still line up in the slot and Fells will get the crucial block for the outside zone. Fells would actually be an upgrade over Shaheen in the run game and passing game. - WR Phillip Dorsett – 2 years, $6 million with $4 mil guaranteed 2.5/3.5 (Down to $8.7) Gabriel is overpaid, and with him we lose speed. Dorsett has that in spades. Yes he had 5TDs but on a severely depleted NE WR corp he still only had snaps on about half the plays and his catch percentage was meh at best. Here he gets to take the top off for ARob and Miller to work the intermediate. He can be the decoy that Turbo was meant to be, for a much more reasonable price. Oh, and Smith has actually hit guys on busted coverages, so maybe Dorsett could get a few long TDs too. - DT Beau Allen – 2 years, $4 million, $3 mil guaranteed 2/2 (Down to $6.7 mil) With Williams and RRH both being gone we need to get some size on the line. Alen is a massive man who can anchor with anyone. He normally is a NT but in a heavy set either he or Goldman can kick inside. For a twist, I put Hicks over the C and both Allen and Goldman over the OTs. Let Hicks get pressure up the middle, Allen and Goldman attack the OTs and have JPP and Mack streaking off the edges. Allen offers nothing in the pass game but he will be crucial to creating more 3rd and 8+’s. - S Miles Killebrew – 2 years, $3 million 1.5/1.5 (Down to $5.2mil) Haha gets paid elsewhere, Bush gets the nod, but we are losing special teams players. That can’t be ignored. Miles never developed into the guy I hoped but he is a damn physical player in the box and a really solid special teams player. He could step into a role as a SS if Bush goes down, and with his limitations he would be the run support guy while Jackson held down the center field duties. Could be way worse for a reserve role and fit. Draft – 2nd (early) – Traded to WAS 2nd – CB – Bryce Hall – Virginia – 6’1”, 200lbs Big and solid athlete for a CB. And he will be able to walk into the #2 role. He is a solid tackler though, so he may be able to slide into NB while Toliver plays on the outside. A trio of Fuller, Hall, Toliver would be a physical bunch for CBs, and then Skrine can match up with smaller guys. There is an innate ability to press with the younger two as well, which means if the timing is disrupted enough that EJax may get a chance to feast on some overthrows. 4th (comp) – OG Cole Van Lanen – Wisconsin – 6’5”, 315lbs The guy is being groomed to take over for Osemele, he is a tank and will be able to develop into a bully of an OG. Maybe he can move to RT but I don’t believe he is a pro OT. He seems more like the mauler you want opening holes for your RB and anchoring for your QB. 5th – EDGE Patrick Jones – Pitt – 6’5”, 260lbs He is a physical EDGE who has a good first step and violent hands. He reminds me of the kind of athlete Lynch was when he was younger. 5th – WR Joe Reed – Virginia - 6’1”, 210lbs Decent size but he has what we need – speed and YAC-generating ability. Smith can hit guys in time and allow them to run, so he should be able to use Reed’s shiftiness. Reed will be able to develop into a deep threat and has the explosiveness Nagy hoped Cohen would have when he was transitions to a primary WR role. Unlike Cohen, Reed can reach the towels on the top shelf. 6th – P Branden Mann – Texas A&M – Doesn’t matter he looks like a 12 year old Last season he appeared in all 13 games, averaging 51.0 yards on 50 punts and pinning 19 punts inside the 20-yard line … set the NCAA record for the highest punting average in a game (60.8 yards at Alabama) and 60-plus yard punts in a season (14). Won the Ray Guy award. This year he has 53 punts for a 47.7 yard average, and has 28 punts of over 50 yards. He is simply an upgrade over O’Donnell, and is cheaper as well. 6th – TE Adam Trautman – Dayton – 6’6”, 250lbs Solid athlete who is a former basketball player. He is the kid you take a swing on and hope to develop. Can be a jumpball nightmare, which worked out fine for MIN this postseason. He isn’t experienced but will get constant reps in scout team and has a year behind the vets to see if he can step into a growing role as a TE. 7th – DE Calvin Taylor Jr – Kentucky – 6’9”, 310lbs A mammoth defensive player. He is already pretty strong but will need to develop more functional strength, is clearly just a run defender at the time. If hard pressed though he has a ridiculous wingspan, so if plugged in the middle he could bat a few balls down there too. To be honest I am trying him on both sides of the ball, he may become a developmental OT, but I am comfortable having him focus on gaining strength and holding down two gaps or setting the edge for others to roam. QB – Smith, Trubisky HB- Montgomery, Cohen, Patterson, Nall FB – Holtz WR - ARob, Miller, Dorsett, Wims, Ridley, Patterson (HB3), Reed TE - Burton, Fells, Holtz (also FB), Horstead, Trautman LT/RT - Williams, Leno, Lucas LG/RG - Osemele, Massie, Van Lanen, Coward C – Whitehair, Larsen, Bars DEs- Hicks, Nichols, Taylor Jr. NT – Goldman, Allen OLB - Mack, JPP, Kwiatkoski, Jones ILB - Smith, DT, Kwiatkoski CB - Fuller, Hal, Toliver, Skrine, Shelley FS – Jackson, Houston-Carson SS – Bush, Killebrew K- Pineiro P - Man LS - Scales Forward Thought The cap got tight but will have plenty of relief for 2021. Trubisky’s $9 mil falls off, Leno can be cut and save money, Massie can be cut to save over $7 mil, Fuller can be restructured and extended to reduce his cap hit, and there would be quite a bit of cap space to begin with. There will need to be a lot of JAGs to add, but that isn’t too hard for Pace it seems. I’m still diving in and trading the farm for a top QB in 2021, if at all possible. Let him learn for a year under Smith while he gets familiar with the system, then he steps into the starting role in 2022 with a team that is built to win around him and set with key players all around. Smith can be cut or retire in the 2022 season, allowing $20+ mil of cap space. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinz D. Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Like the thinking with the whole Washington trade scenario. However, no reason not to have Leno or Massie be a part of that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 This seems on-form considering Pace's past moves. Have you considered becoming scout-team Ryan Pace for some team modelling draft scenarios? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugashane Posted January 14, 2020 Author Share Posted January 14, 2020 18 hours ago, Heinz D. said: Like the thinking with the whole Washington trade scenario. However, no reason not to have Leno or Massie be a part of that. If I would be able to have them restructure to avoid dead cap I would. I just don't want to pay that much without at least half them be been ups. Better to at least utilize them while they're on the payroll then pay them not to be there and to pay the replacement IMO. 2 hours ago, RunningVaccs said: This seems on-form considering Pace's past moves. Have you considered becoming scout-team Ryan Pace for some team modelling draft scenarios? I'm usually so far off with all of my ideas of what Pace will do that I haven't given it any thought. I don't have any money or job on the line so I'm more willing to take the big risks. Would have worked with Mahomes, would have busted with a dozen terrible choices. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 7 minutes ago, Sugashane said: I'm usually so far off with all of my ideas of what Pace will do that I haven't given it any thought. I don't have any money or job on the line so I'm more willing to take the big risks. Would have worked with Mahomes, would have busted with a dozen terrible choices. Lol Oh ****... I meant to post this on Windy's mock not yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dll2000 Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 14 minutes ago, RunningVaccs said: Oh ****... I meant to post this on Windy's mock not yours. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugashane Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 22 hours ago, RunningVaccs said: Oh ****... I meant to post this on Windy's mock not yours. 22 hours ago, dll2000 said: LOL Dammit man I thought we all agreed not to encourage him!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dll2000 Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 29 minutes ago, Sugashane said: Dammit man I thought we all agreed not to encourage him!!! Its okay Sugar. I like you. Your mom probably does too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 13 minutes ago, dll2000 said: Its okay Sugar. I like you. Your mom probably does too. Scrolling through a lot of screens right now, and read the above as "Dammit man, I thought we all agreed not to encourage him!" Followed by "your mom probably does too" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugashane Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 1 43 minutes ago, dll2000 said: Its okay Sugar. I like you. Your mom probably does too. Sir, your optimism is sorely misplaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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