Not here to say I told you so, but Bagent threw 2 bad picks and finished the game against the Chargers with a rating of 62. The Bears were never in the game. I’m curious how different the discourse is this week compared with the overreaction last week to the Raiders game. Fields is targeting next week to come back. Khalil Mack was complimentary of Bagent, but he said they were glad #1 wasn’t out there. Also DJ Moore was targeted just 1 time in the second half, when were in desperation come from behind mode. Our best player out there, and one target. Inexcusable.
That first play of the game was a real screwup from the officials. Mooney caught the ball while falling, and got up without being touched, and then kept running because the play was still live. He eventually got shoved out of bounds around the 10 yard line. The officials blew the play dead after he caught it for… Reasons? Maybe they were stunned that the Bears actually had a good offensive play right off the start and there is some hidden NFL rule that prevents such a thing. Beats me.
Yeah that was ridiculous. We seem to get screwed by at least one horrendous call every single game. I don’t know if that happens to every team, or if we just get no respect at all from the officials. Can’t say I really blame them if that’s the case, we don’t deserve too much respect.
Yeah. They would have only lost by 10 instead of 17.
There was another dodgy whistle later on in the game where they called forward progress a little too quickly for my liking, and then whoever had the ball (I forget), broke free and would’ve gotten some decent yardage out of it.
That first play was weird, because none of the announcers, as I recall, said anything about it. I was screaming at the TV when the play was whistled dead, saw the replay, and thought maybe there’s some rule I have misunderstood, since nobody seemed to think at the time there was anything hinky about the call. Did I miss something the announcers said while I was cursing the refs?
It was Kmet, and he might have scored – but they scored a TD a few plays later, anyway.
No – and they discussed it a little after the break. The zebra definitely blew this one, but Mooney shares some blame for not getting up and sprinting all out for the end zone. If he had, the official might have held off blowing his whistle and let the play continue, and LA would have had to challenge it.
In other Bears news, they’ve traded next year’s 2nd round pick to Washington for Montez Sweat.
I hate, hate, HATE this trade.
Sweat is a fine player and it’s at a position of dire need, but this season is toast. Last year we traded a 2nd that turned into pick 32. This year we repeat the mistake on a pick that’s likely to be in the 30s overall again. For a 27 year old player who is going to be a UFA in just 4 months.
The reason you trade for a player in the last year of a deal is 1) to help you finish strong and win more games this year, and 2) to give you an opportunity to negotiate with the player early, and 3) to maybe get a compensatory pick if he bolts. The latter is of dubious value since so many other things can render it moot. The Bears should not be looking to win more games this year at the expense of the future, this season is toast. The Bears have the most cap space by a country mile and could sign Sweat or Young or both in 2024 easily, we don’t need the closed negotiating window because we have the most to spend. This move illustrates a team without any sort of plan.
Also, Sweat is 27 years old. He’s at his peak and every season following this one will be a declining season. As a doormat team, this does nothing to help us in 3 years when we would hypothetically be ready to compete.
Chase Young was traded to the Niners for a (low) 3rd. While injury history matters, Young is a better long term option than Sweat. In the offseason I’m sure Young will command a larger contract. If you could have gotten a guy that the league thinks is a better long term option for a lower pick, shouldn’t you do that? Maybe Poles knows more and Sweat will have a much better next 3 seasons than Young, but he’s probably on a bit of an island there.
The meatballs on Reddit are pointing out what they think is hypocrisy by comparing this to Jaylon Johnson’s saga. They are totally different things. While extending Johnson might be expensive, and more than you think he’s worth, you do it because he’s a homegrown talent. Yes, if we traded him for a 2nd or better pick, that’d be defensible as we plan for the future. But it also sends the message that we don’t pay players who blossom here on their rookie deal. Especially in the context of the Roquan trade last year. Johnson is also 24 years old…which makes a huge difference.
After this idiotic move I’m 100% out on Poles. Dude’s a fucking moron. At this point give Harbaugh the GM/Coach job and be done with it. I’m sure that will be a donkey show in its own right, but I’m sick of amateur hour here.
Edit: I seriously hope that there’s some conditions on that 2nd round pick such that it degrades to a later round if he leaves via free agency. So far no whispers of that…which is stupid.
Edit2: The refrain of the colossally stupid is always something to the effect of “…that 2024 2nd round pick could be anything! Even Montez Sweat!” While you can’t put anything past Poles, I’m pretty sure that our 2024 2nd round pick wouldn’t have been a 28 year old who costs $20M per year.
The only way this trade makes sense is if the Bears and Sweat already had agreement on a multiyear deal – much as they did with Khalil Mack before they traded for him in 2018.
If in fact Poles just gave up a high second round pick for a 9-game rental for a 2-6 team, he’s the dumbest GM in NFL history.
I’m not sure that makes it better. We could have paid him whatever in the offseason. If he doesn’t want to be a Bear he’s not signing a deal now and he wouldn’t later. Also, if I’m Johnson and they pay Sweat a truckload mid-season I’m definitely gone in 2024. So this is still probably a net loss (yes, Johnson is a better player at a more premium position).
That’s assuming he’s actually a free agent this offseason. Washington could have extended him, franchised him or traded him today to someone else. Good edge rushers don’t hit the open market very often.
I’m not saying that all makes this a smart trade. I think Poles is rushing things and betraying his promise to build through the draft. I just wouldn’t call it monumentally stupid as long as he actually has Sweat signed to a new deal.
As far as Johnson, I’m disappointed he hasn’t been extended already, and now he says he’s shutting down those talks for the season. I agree losing him would be a mistake, especially since the Bears can afford to pay him even if Sweat gets a big deal.
Sweat isn’t a good edge rusher though. He’s adequate. He’s maybe an improvement over the dismal state of things here. But all the numbers say he’s far from a difference making Edge. His win rate this year is 8%, on par with Ngakoue and Walker’s. Someone of his caliber would likely be available in the off-season.
The more I look at this, I hope they wait until the off-season to sign him. The odds of a major overpay are high right now.
Yeah, I have a hard time understanding how it makes much sense.
The team’s 2-6, and unless they more-or-less run the table, they aren’t going to be making the playoffs. They’re in the bottom half of the league in pass defense, and their pass rush has been bad so far this year, but IMO, adding one OK, but not great, pass rusher isn’t likely to make a huge difference for the rest of this season.
As others have said, I suppose that Poles is hoping he can re-sign Sweat next year, but I’m not at all convinced that he’s worth giving up a draft pick which is likely to be in the first quarter of Round 2, especially when the team has so many other holes to fill.
The narrative being spun now is that this will allow several players on the DL to switch positions. No idea if any of this is actually what the coaches in Halas Hall are thinking, but it’s becoming the theory of the case online.
DeMarcus Walker is a much more effective player rushing from the inside and will move to 3T. Gervon Dexter is much more effective at the 1T and will slide over. Sweat and Ngakoue will man the outside at least on passing downs. I suppose I can buy that, but that means this stupid coaching staff drafted a guy in the 2nd at the wrong position and signed an expensive FA to play the wrong position…
And there it is. I’m not sure if this overpay is better or worse than him walking in the off-season. Yes, the trade wasn’t a complete waste of a pick this way, and we have the money, but I’m just not sure this makes us a better team. I’d have rather used the tag and taken a wait and see approach.
Sweat will probably make a couple plays down the stretch costing us 7 spots in the draft. Looking forward to that.
Can we be done with the Tyson Bagent love now?
No, that would be silly. He was lights out for the entire first half. The INTs were all bad ones but they weren’t the actions of a QB over his head, they were just inaccurate throws (which is ironic). Saints also have a top 5 passing defense. All things considered this was a pretty typical performance for a rookie in his 3rd start trying to come from behind.
I think we can say he’s not some savant, but this offense is way more professional with him under center than Fields.
Cool. If you’re good with a QB with twice as many interceptions than touchdowns, a 70.9 passer rating, and an NFL low 3.9 completed air yards, I’m not going to talk you out of it. I’ll be excited if he starts for the Bears over Fields once Fields is healthy.
Bagent led the team to beat an incredibly dysfunctional Raiders team that had totally given up and have since fired their head coach and GM mid-season.
He came in against Minnesota and turned the ball over twice. We lost badly to the Chargers. We lost a very winnable game against New Orleans where we turned the ball over 5 times! and only lost by one score. We were only playing from behind because we kept turning the ball over. I can’t understand what part of all of this reads “way more professional”. Fields threw for 4 touchdowns in two straight weeks prior to the week he got hurt. 8 touchdown throws against 1 interception seems far more professional to me.
I have nothing against Bagent, and I think he can be a fine backup QB, hopefully for the Bears. So I take no joy in this “debate”, but if it isn’t obvious by now that he is far from being a top half of the league starting QB in the NFL then I don’t know what else one would need to see.