Ryan Poles has demonstrated an impressive body of work in allowing performance and team needs to dictate his decisions. Being a GM is not easy. There’s no crystal ball to see the outcome of decisions you need to make now. There are endless human elements in each system you try to install.
Nonetheless, his new trial will be to cure the snakebite that has plagued the Bears for over three decades: the quarterback position.
The Bears have astonishingly repeated a cycle of hiring a new coach who did not have a say in the QB they are tasked in developing or winning with. Marc Trestman inherited Jay Cutler; John Fox also inherited Jay; Matt Nagy inherited Mitch Trubisky; and Matt Eberflus inherited Justin Fields. None of these coaches got to pick a QB that fit their style. Poles will now decide to either repeat that cycle, or keep Justin Fields who is has trouble finding open receivers. (There is also an outside possibility he keeps Fields to compete with whomever they draft.)
With Caleb Williams on the way to the 2024 Draft, do the Bears even have coaches to mold his elite talent?
History says no.
The past three seasons, we have not seen the Bears improve Justin Fields’ passing game enough to make him a top 16 passer in the league. The responsibility is chiefly Fields’, but how is he in year three and still having difficulty finding open receivers on the field? How is he still late on hitting some receivers he DOES find, and how has the coaching staff not prepared him to do that? On the other hand, Fields has a lot going for him.
He has admirably endured the gauntlet of anguish that comes with being the quarterback of the Chicago Bears. In terms of toughness, he is among the best. Fields has a combination of pocket presence, strength, and quickness that arguably makes him the most escapable quarterback in the league. Most QBs in the Hall of Fame do not have this exceptional trait.
He also has great speed to pick up chunks of yardage like few other QBs in the league can. In this area, he has been on par with Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts.He has made the gamut of different throws necessary in this league with extremely ample arm strength.
He has come along this season in successfully executing an NFL scheme and gameplan, such as Luke Getsy’s.
Also, in a clutch, he has shown the resolve, poise, and accuracy necessary to carry the team through tough moments.
However, there is one final area that may convince the Bears to keep Fields heading into 2024; it is an an area that the organization, from top to bottom, values - soft skills. Through extremely adverse times, he has maintained a healthy relationship with coaches and teammates, and they have not smeared each other when grilled by the press. He has maintained a stoic demeanor that’s kept him level through some dark years for the Bears. (A more emotional quarterback is liable to lose their cool through such times.) This stoicism has galvanized his leadership, which has been paramount to a rebuilding team that just defeated two division rivals with winning records.
Lastly, he is likable. When Fields injured his thumb for four games, he could only ever been seen rooting for Tyson Bagent. He has been cool and respectful when speaking about his organization. He maintains an affable relationship with the media while trying to add a little humor to their press conferences. He has not just been a football player, but also model young adult in our bitter, polarized society.
And wouldn’t you know it, that’s exactly the type of person that the McCaskey’s have valued in their organization.
Writer
-Richard Smith
Posted by Pat Lynch
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