NFCN Rivals 2024

[dll2000]

1 hour ago, dafreak said:

Jordan Love, you are on the clock...

He shouldn’t play on his current deal.  

[Madmike90]

2 hours ago, dll2000 said:

Lions spending some money now.

 

Ladies & Gents...Kirk Cousins 2.0

[dll2000]

 

[BeaReylo]

I absolutely love how the guy said "the NFC North is going to be a bloodbath for the foreseeable future (@12:33)."  😀 

[dll2000]

If I am being honest I have us ranked 3rd in NFCN going into 2024.

1. Det

2. GB

3. Arlington

4. MN

Bears are definitely closing gap though.   The gap between all teams isn't huge.  This may be toughest division in football this year top to bottom. Top 3 for sure.

 

 

[soulman]

This years goal should be simple.  Move on from fearing the competition to becoming the competition everyone else fears.  We need to be there by seasons end.

[Sugashane]

On 5/30/2024 at 11:52 AM, dll2000 said:

If I am being honest I have us ranked 3rd in NFCN going into 2024.

1. Det

2. GB

3. Arlington

4. MN

Bears are definitely closing gap though.   The gap between all teams isn't huge.  This may be toughest division in football this year top to bottom. Top 3 for sure.

 

 

That's where I have the NFCN ranked too. DET was the most complete team, GB has more recent success and until CHI actually beats them then you have to give them the nod as MLF has completely outclassed any CHI coach he has faced so far, and MIN has talent but CHI just has more talent than they do. 

[dll2000]

I kind of hope MN gives all the reps to Darnold.

Then Darnold gets hurt and McCarthy has to play in season without adequate prep.

It would be nice if someone else made same mistakes we make.

I am jacked Caleb is getting all the reps with us.   

If Cousins had one more year on his deal and McCarthy was QB I would be fine with him watching (were I a MN fan).  It's bringing in a journeyman vet from outside and sitting your first round QB behind him as a process that pisses me off.

It does sound like MN coaches are going to give McCarthy substantial reps regardless.   Unlike Bears how Bears did MT and Fields.

 

[dll2000]

With that said, here's what we can say about McCarthy so far. After two days of minicamp, and with one final week of OTAs remaining, he's squarely behind veteran Sam Darnold on the depth chart. During the practices open to reporters, Darnold has taken nearly all of the first-team reps, and more often than not, veteran Nick Mullens has been the next quarterback to step in followed by McCarthy and then Jaren Hall.

[beardown3231]

58 minutes ago, dll2000 said:

With that said, here's what we can say about McCarthy so far. After two days of minicamp, and with one final week of OTAs remaining, he's squarely behind veteran Sam Darnold on the depth chart. During the practices open to reporters, Darnold has taken nearly all of the first-team reps, and more often than not, veteran Nick Mullens has been the next quarterback to step in followed by McCarthy and then Jaren Hall.

I'll never understand this. Want Darnold to play? Fine, but Mullens *then* McCarthy? What a waste of time

[BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW]

2 hours ago, dll2000 said:

With that said, here's what we can say about McCarthy so far. After two days of minicamp, and with one final week of OTAs remaining, he's squarely behind veteran Sam Darnold on the depth chart. During the practices open to reporters, Darnold has taken nearly all of the first-team reps, and more often than not, veteran Nick Mullens has been the next quarterback to step in followed by McCarthy and then Jaren Hall.

Haha they're actually doing it.  McConnell took one look at Matt Nagy circa 2021 and said 'I want THAT'

[dll2000]

10 hours ago, BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW said:

Haha they're actually doing it.  McConnell took one look at Matt Nagy circa 2021 and said 'I want THAT'

They want these guys to sit for a year to get acclimated.

Thats fine, but what happens if the journeyman starter you brought in stinks or gets hurt? 

They almost always decide to play the rookie at that time as they have no one else.  But he didn’t get proper offseason reps to prepare.  Now the situation you were scared of, ruined confidence, is multiplied.  And it’s a likely scenario.  Happened to us twice.

I watch MN film and I see McCarthy throwing to receivers on air in a line drill.

We are working on installing entire offense with Caleb with the starters.  Doing 11 on 11 team drills.  Against the ones on defense.  He is getting thrown in deep end.  You have to study hard AND implement it in reps. 

McCarthy still has to go through all that at some point.  If he gets all reps next year he will be just ahead of where Caleb is now this time next year after losing a year of his cheap rookie deal.  

Love sat for two years, played some regular season games before, and was still not quite ready in first half of season.  He played well in second half, but now they have to pay him huge money with half a season of game data to gauge.  

Edited June 6 by dll2000

[AZBearsFan]

44 minutes ago, dll2000 said:

They want these guys to sit for a year to get acclimated.

Thats fine, but what happens if the journeyman starter you brought in stinks or gets hurt? 

They almost always decide to play the rookie at that time as they have no one else.  But he didn’t get proper offseason reps to prepare.  Now the situation you were scared of, ruined confidence, is multiplied.  And it’s a likely scenario.  Happened to us twice.

I watch MN film and I see McCarthy throwing to receivers on air in a line drill.

We are working on installing entire offense with Caleb with the starters.  Doing 11 on 11 team drills.  Against the ones on defense.  He is getting thrown in deep end.  You have to study hard AND implement it in reps. 

McCarthy still has to go through all that at some point.  If he gets all reps next year he will be just ahead of where Caleb is now this time next year after losing a year of his cheap rookie deal.  

Love sat for two years, played some regular season games before, and was still not quite ready in first half of season.  He played well in second half, but now they have to pay him huge money with half a season of game data to gauge.  

How much of that “We’re not playing him right away” is decided well ahead of time though? I would think a lot. Only certain situations can hold to their convictions on that though. KOC probably is. I have to think NE is too with Mayo being a rookie HC. GB was different because their guy was behind the current MVP.

In our scenario, not only is playing CW right away the logical choice, but we don’t really know how secure Flus is either. He was as good as fired in most people’s minds last year at Halloween, so even if he had wanted to sit Williams in 2024 he probably doesn’t have that much rope. Not recognizing as such in a very similar scenario for Nagy with Fields was a big part of why he got fired when he did IMO. 

[BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW]

1 hour ago, dll2000 said:

They want these guys to sit for a year to get acclimated.

Thats fine, but what happens if the journeyman starter you brought in stinks or gets hurt? 

17 minutes ago, AZBearsFan said:

How much of that “We’re not playing him right away” is decided well ahead of time though? I would think a lot. Only certain situations can hold to their convictions on that though. KOC probably is. I have to think NE is too with Mayo being a rookie HC. GB was different because their guy was behind the current MVP.

In our scenario, not only is playing CW right away the logical choice, but we don’t really know how secure Flus is either. He was as good as fired in most people’s minds last year at Halloween, so even if he had wanted to sit Williams in 2024 he probably doesn’t have that much rope. Not recognizing as such in a very similar scenario for Nagy with Fields was a big part of why he got fired when he did IMO. 

 

It's a solid plan to sit McCarthy, be deliberate and take it slow, but like all plans it only survives until contact with the enemy.  I feel like the staff in MN is probably safer than Nagy/Pace were in 2021 but if I was betting, I'd still say they're going to play McCarthy this year. All it takes is a starter injury or a string of bad games and the prospect of trying your shiny new toy out becomes tempting.  Honestly if they do sit him, or at least when they play him he looks ready,  it would be really impressive and raise my opinion of those guys.

Because I am a dork and spend a lot of time in the car, I listen to a lot of podcasts, and one thing that's been pretty consistent about the last year of the Pace and Nagy show, was that they REALLY wanted to stash Justin for a long time behind Dalton. They felt he needed it, even though there had to be pressure after media were reporting how much better Fields lookl in training than Dalton. 

As for Flus' security,  I'm pretty vocal on being critical of him, but I hope and would honestly expect they have either extended him quietly or at least told him he's got all of his 4 year contract to figure things out.  Even the most McCaskeyish owner would have to understand at this point that if you're going to choose to not align your hires and QB you really need to commit to it to make it work. 

[dll2000]

17 minutes ago, BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW said:

It's a solid plan to sit McCarthy, be deliberate and take it slow, but like all plans it only survives until contact with the enemy.  I feel like the staff in MN is probably safer than Nagy/Pace were in 2021 but if I was betting, I'd still say they're going to play McCarthy this year. All it takes is a starter injury or a string of bad games and the prospect of trying your shiny new toy out becomes tempting.  Honestly if they do sit him, or at least when they play him he looks ready,  it would be really impressive and raise my opinion of those guys.

Because I am a dork and spend a lot of time in the car, I listen to a lot of podcasts, and one thing that's been pretty consistent about the last year of the Pace and Nagy show, was that they REALLY wanted to stash Justin for a long time behind Dalton. They felt he needed it, even though there had to be pressure after media were reporting how much better Fields lookl in training than Dalton. 

As for Flus' security,  I'm pretty vocal on being critical of him, but I hope and would honestly expect they have either extended him quietly or at least told him he's got all of his 4 year contract to figure things out.  Even the most McCaskeyish owner would have to understand at this point that if you're going to choose to not align your hires and QB you really need to commit to it to make it work. 

Exactly.

The plan was not to play Trubisky OR Fields no matter what.

They didn't stick to that plan and it was not a realistic plan.  Both sets of coaches were serious lame ducks.  That makes a difference. 

And it also makes a large difference when media is reporting the rookie is looking way better than the starter.  Losing games and a stadium full of boos week after week and bad press and your owner is like, what the heck are we doing here people?  This isn't working.  

That pressure is real.  And I predicted it would happen with both with MT and Fields before the season.  That is a major reason I said give them all the reps.  It was because I thought they were going to be forced to play regardless.  So give them the reps to prepare them so they can survive.  

Now with McCarthy.  I think they can get by with stashing him.  That fan base is not as starved as Chicago and Browns fan base for example.  I think they would be more tolerant of mediocre play by Darnold.  And there is a decent to good chance Darnold looks pretty good with his weapons in MN.

Poles has publicly said there has been no extension for Flus yet.  But there is no pressure to go deep in playoffs or even make the playoffs or else.  It is just start developing Caleb.  

I think if Flus tried to stash Caleb he would go from highly likely to be brought back to now your job really is in jeopardy.  He is doing it exactly right. 

Fans had no faith in Fox or Nagy.  All they did was bash them all day long BEFORE their last seasons with team.  It was win with your chosen vet QB or kindly leave.  And Nagy really thought he could.  Fox just kind of got screwed as he had nothing and was probably dead in water regardless. 

I think Nagy could have saved his job with Fields.  Bears fans didn't care about winning that season.  They wanted to see a rookie QB playing and getting a little better by end of season.  That was his chance.  Trying to save their job with Dalton at QB was just not going to happen.  

MN and NE fans are more willing to be patient and do the sit a year plan.  Neither coach is a lame duck.  They can play whoever at QB.  Or MN can.  NE may be getting a little hungry, but they know that team is bad right now.  

The only way I see Flus loses his job this year is if the Bears have a truly awful season.  Like 4 or 5 wins and a lot of bad losses.  Or he loses the locker room ala Trestman.  Or both.