Bears sign OL Germain Ifedi

[soulman]

5 hours ago, Trubiskytime said:

Yeah I’ve been wondering why most ppl seem to think we only signed him to play guard. I assumed that part of the appeal for Pace was that Ifedi has experience at both positions, so he could back up multiple spots if needed. Versatility may be his best asset. .. although I have to admit I would much rather see him at Guard if he has to be on the field...

Good thought.  Sowell was used as a swing OT/OG before they tried converting him into a TE.  Of those currently on the roster Bars looks like he may have that kind of versatility but in never hurts to have more than one guy who can handle OT and OG.

IMHO I'm still thinking Pace goes after yet another interior OL in round two as he's done before with Whitehair and Daniels.  Both faltered a bit last year but that may have been the result of shifting them around without ample time in preseason for it to work.  Overall I think they're both pretty talented OL and they'll bounce back.  Adding a third young interior OL will lock down that part of the OL for years to come and in this offense those guys are the key to success in both the run and pass game.

Guys like Coward, Bars, and Ifedi may end up being even more valuable as both competition and depth due to their versatility at OT/OG.

Edited March 27, 2020 by soulman

[dll2000]

Based off what I have seen I would say Ifedi at his best is better than Massie when he is playing bad. 

I think he would have been our number one sub at OT last year.  In a legit practice competition I wouldn’t say he has no chance to win a starting job.  

I’d have to watch a lot more for a more definite opinion.  

[G08]

From another board... this is not my work. Just sharing because I like you a-holes

 

Quote

Being a bears fan from Seattle, I constantly hear about the O-line woes year after year. I’ve spent a lot of time digging into Ifedi’s film. Hawks fans rag on him but the film says he isn’t the main problem.

Here are my 5 thoughts on Ifedi:


1) Ifedi has blocked for Russell Wilson his entire career, a QB that consistently drops pass 9 yrds (on script) creating an edge rush arc that is almost impossible to block for. He consistently leaves clean pockets and begins to scramble unnecessarily which creates havoc for the O-line.


2) Russell Wilson’s TTT has been bottom of the league for years hovering around 3-3.5 sec which is well over the league average of 2.5. The best of the best can’t consistently block for that amount of time. The hawks ask A LOT from their O-linemen.


3) Ifed has endured O-line coaching changes and has had multiple players changing around him. Last season the hawks started eight 5 man combinations, including their starting center and a different offensive-line alignment in each of the final five games. Good O-line play is about continuity! The hawks simple haven’t had that.


4) Reports have the bears most likely playing him at RG where he’ll be a huge upgrade over Rashaad Coward. He has zero problems run blocking and his penalties are next to zero at this position.


5) He’s young, at 25 on a 1 year deal he has nothing but upside and could just need a fresh start. Plus, he’ll be joining a decent to good O-line with a QB that gets the ball out fast.

Ifedi isn’t a superstar but he’s definitely a serviceable starter who is always available to play and I feel this is a very good signing for the bears, IMO, 2nd only to Quinn.

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by G08

[WindyCity]

14 minutes ago, G08 said:

From another board... this is not my work. Just sharing because I like you a-holes

 

 

Have him compete vs a 3rd round pick after a trade down and I am good with the RG solution.

[AZBearsFan]

2 hours ago, WindyCity said:

Have him compete vs a 3rd round pick after a trade down and I am good with the RG solution.

If the Bears like Ifedi as a viable starter at RG I’d be fine going a little lower than round 3. I’m a pretty big fan of Jon Runyan as a RG. He was really good there at the Senior Bowl from everything I’ve seen after being a tackle in college, and we could likely get him around round 5-6.

[WindyCity]

17 minutes ago, AZBearsFan said:

If the Bears like Ifedi as a viable starter at RG I’d be fine going a little lower than round 3. I’m a pretty big fan of Jon Runyan as a RG. He was really good there at the Senior Bowl from everything I’ve seen after being a tackle in college, and we could likely get him around round 5-6.

If they think Ifedi is a viable starter than they again are over rating their offensive talent.

Ifedi is a flyer. At his ceiling he may be an average starter for the Bears. At some point we need to have better than an average line. 

The only time that Foles has been successful in his career is Philly where he has a dominant line.

[vegas492]

As a Packer fan, I like the signing because Z Smith stole his lunch money last year.  But he did that to a lot of guys.

Agree that the Seattle line in general has a tough time with how that scheme works.  I can't help but feel that this is a quality signing for the Bears.  At the very least he offers position flexibility as a starter or backup.  

[JAF-N72EX]

They are better off keeping Idefi as a swing OL. Try him out inside where he seems better suited and/or if Massie goes down again at RT -- Massie and Idefi are near identical so we wouldn't see any drop off in production. 

That's what I would do. But are we sure he is not being brought in to compete at RT?

Idefi vs Massie

Last 2 years combined

• # of games
  Idefi = 31
  Massie = 26
   
• Snap count
  Idefi = 2,015
  Massie = 1,566
   
• Blocks Blown
  Idefi = 47 (2.33% rate)
  Massie = 46 (2.93% rate)
   
• Penalties
  Idefi = 23 (1.14% rate)
  Massie = 6 (0.38% rate)
   
• Sk/Stf Allowed
  Idefi = 18 (0.89% rate)
  Massie = 16 (1.02% rate)

 
2019

Idefi

• 16 Games
• 1,060 snaps (627 passing / 433 rushing) 
• 30 blocks blown (2.8%) -- 21 passing / 9 rushing)
• 13 penalties (1.2%) -- 4 hld, 8 FS, 1 MISC)
• 8 sk/stf allowed (0.75%) -- 6 pass / 2 rush

Massie

• 10 Games
• 572 snaps (365 passing / 207 rushing)
• 21 blocks blown (3.67%) -- 16 pass / 5 rush)
• 2 penalties (0.34%) -- 0 pass / 1 rush)
• 7 sk/stf allowed (1.22%) -- 5 pass / 2 rush

[WindyCity]

Massie was really bad last year after getting his fresh paper.

[JAF-N72EX]

He is good at not committing penalties though. Only 14 penalties in 4 years is REALLY good. It's his inconsistency in other areas that often hurt him. 

2016 15 gms, 871 snaps, 16 BB (1.83%), 3 Pen (0.34%), 06 sk/stf (0.68%)
2017 15 gms, 864 snaps, 26 BB (3.00%), 5 pen (0.57%), 11 sk/stf (1.27%)
2018 16 gms, 994 snaps, 25 BB (2.51%), 4 Pen (0.42%), 09 sk/stf (0.90%)
2019 10 gms, 572 snaps, 21 BB (3.67%), 2 Pen (0.34%), 07 sk/stf (1.22%)
 

[The_Romen]

23 penalties the last 2 years is terrible. We had a problem with Leno getting penalties last year, but he has 12 over 2 years according to PFR.

Those are drive killers and I don't have too much confidence in this offense to convert 3rd and longs.

[JAF-N72EX]

1 hour ago, The_Romen said:

23 penalties the last 2 years is terrible. We had a problem with Leno getting penalties last year, but he has 12 over 2 years according to PFR.

Those are drive killers and I don't have too much confidence in this offense to convert 3rd and longs.

Those 23 penalties are from when Idefi played RT, so yes it would be a concern to move him there full-time, but guards don't usually come close to those amount of penalties because their blocking assignments are in a more confined space and are not asked to cover more ground in open space like tackles are.

Move Ifedi inside and and try him out based on how the draft falls and if Massie goes down with an injury then we have a liable backup playing on a 1 year prove-it deal. 

Edited March 28, 2020 by JustAnotherFan

[Sugashane]

13 hours ago, JustAnotherFan said:

They are better off keeping Idefi as a swing OL. Try him out inside where he seems better suited and/or if Massie goes down again at RT -- Massie and Idefi are near identical so we wouldn't see any drop off in production. 

That's what I would do. But are we sure he is not being brought in to compete at RT?

The only thing I am absolutely sure of is that neither Leno or Massie played well enough to warrant competition at their spots. Massie was garbage, Leno at least seemed to pick up his play after about the halfway mark. 

Both should have to fight for the starting gig,  even if they become the most expensive duo of reserves in the league, the best players need to be on the field. 

[dll2000]

13 hours ago, JustAnotherFan said:

They are better off keeping Idefi as a swing OL. Try him out inside where he seems better suited and/or if Massie goes down again at RT -- Massie and Idefi are near identical so we wouldn't see any drop off in production. 

That's what I would do. But are we sure he is not being brought in to compete at RT?

Idefi vs Massie

Last 2 years combined

• # of games
  Idefi = 31
  Massie = 26
   
• Snap count
  Idefi = 2,015
  Massie = 1,566
   
• Blocks Blown
  Idefi = 47 (2.33% rate)
  Massie = 46 (2.93% rate)
   
• Penalties
  Idefi = 23 (1.14% rate)
  Massie = 6 (0.38% rate)
   
• Sk/Stf Allowed
  Idefi = 18 (0.89% rate)
  Massie = 16 (1.02% rate)

 
2019

Idefi

• 16 Games
• 1,060 snaps (627 passing / 433 rushing) 
• 30 blocks blown (2.8%) -- 21 passing / 9 rushing)
• 13 penalties (1.2%) -- 4 hld, 8 FS, 1 MISC)
• 8 sk/stf allowed (0.75%) -- 6 pass / 2 rush

Massie

• 10 Games
• 572 snaps (365 passing / 207 rushing)
• 21 blocks blown (3.67%) -- 16 pass / 5 rush)
• 2 penalties (0.34%) -- 0 pass / 1 rush)
• 7 sk/stf allowed (1.22%) -- 5 pass / 2 rush

When you watch them they are very similar players.  

[dll2000]

Corey Levin is only 25.   Can’t find anything negative about him, seems to play really well in preseason but keeps getting released for some reason.  

Could be outside sleeper.