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Bear With Us: Vegas Win Totals, Poles Owners Meeting Presser, & Caleb Williams Expectations

| March 26th, 2024

It’s been a busy week for me in real life, so thanks for putting up with two audio posts back to back. Hoping to dig into some film by the end of the week.

Nick and I had a blast recording this last one — we talk through…

  • Where Vegas has the Bears’ current Over/Under (8.5 wins) and what we think about that
  • Caleb Williams’ Pro Day
  • The Keenan Allen addition & how he fits into the Bears’ puzzle
  • What to do at #9 Overall
  • What to expect from Caleb Williams as a rookie
  • And much, much more

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199 Comments

Introducing DBB Spaces: Let’s Talk About The Bears’ 2024 Outlook

| March 25th, 2024

With Justin Fields officially traded, it feels like the Chicago Bears are at the dawning of a new age. That means change — some good, some bad, and a whole lot of ‘New’.

That means new additions around DBB as well — Jeff & I will be hosting a show we’re calling Saturday Spaces (creative, I know) that you can expect weekly starting the weekend after Easter. The two of us recorded similar shows throughout this last Bears season, and I think they turned out well.

I recorded this last weekend’s show for your listening pleasure — check it out at the link below and let me know what you think.

Your Turn: What Bears-related topics will you focus on over the next month?

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Audibles From the Long Snapper: The Post-Free Agency (First Wave) Edition

| March 22nd, 2024


NOTE: Robert and I intended to start doing our weekly Spaces sessions on Twitter a few weeks back, but I have been battling one of the worst bronchial infections of my life. I’m finally returning to normal existence, and we’ll be live this Saturday (3/23) at 1 PM ET. A lot to talk about. 

Thoughts on what has transpired in the early days of free agency, starting in Chicago.

  • Do I believe Ryan Poles had second or third-round offers on the table for Justin Fields? No, I do not. If you have followed my commentary on the Fields trade market, you know that I’ve been consistent in my reporting: there has been no Fields market. If a second-round pick had been on the table, Poles would have absolutely jumped at the opportunity. This revisionist take on the market, created by the Fields camp, is an attempt to save face, to pretend his journey to Pittsburgh was self-directed. Atlanta didn’t want him. Sean Payton doesn’t think he’s very good. Minnesota preferred Sam Darnold. As we close the book on the Justin Fields era in Chicago, it’s time to be honest. He was an underwhelming performer and the league recognized that.
  • The Keenan Allen acquisition should have no influence on Poles’ draft strategy. Allen is going to be 32 years old this season. And while he is coming off his best year, the Bears can’t expect more than 2-3 seasons from him at a top-line performer. If these three wide receiving prospects – Harrison, Nabers, Odunze – are as good as many believe, the Bears shouldn’t hesitate to stand pat at number nine and bring one of them to Chicago. Always. Be. Adding. Weapons.
  • The center position is still intriguing as we look ahead to 2024. Ryan Bates is a $4 million player. That’s not backup money, especially on the interior of the offensive line. It’ll be surprising if Bates is not one of the five starting linemen in September, and I think that position is going to be center.

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Caleb Williams’ Pro Day Went Well

| March 21st, 2024

The Bears showed out in force for Caleb Williams’ USC Pro Day. Their contingent included Ryan Poles, Matt Eberflus, Ian Cunningham, Shane Waldron, and even Chicago’s newest WR…

What does it all mean? Probably what it looks like — Chicago is gearing up to select Williams #1 overall in late April.

And just in case the Bears had any concerns, Williams left the contingent without anything to be concerned about on the field. Each of Caleb’s throws looked easy and the ball leapt off his hand. It’s easy to wax poetic about a throwing motion like his, but we can save that for another day — for now, excitement seems to be building for the 22-year-old Washingtonian. If getting excited is your thing, don’t be afraid to get swept up in the fervor.

Your Turn: What’s your take on Williams these days? Did anything change after the Pro Day?

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194 Comments

Tonight, We’ll Talk About Justin Fields and Caleb Williams One Last Time

| March 19th, 2024

See you later this evening for tonight’s stream.

Your Turn: How are you feeling today?

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213 Comments

What A Wild Weekend

| March 18th, 2024

If you’re reading this blog, you know what happened this weekend. The 11th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft was traded from Chicago to Pittsburgh on Saturday for a 4th round conditional pick in next year’s draft.


There will be a new QB in Chicago, and by all accounts that will be Caleb Williams. Williams will immediately walk into one of the best supporting casts that a #1 pick has had in recent memory. It’s an exciting time to be a Bears fan, if bittersweet.

All the best to Justin, he’s done nothing but represent Chicago well during his time as a Bear. He deserved a shot elsewhere, and I’m glad he’ll get one in Pittsburgh.

Everyone gets to turn the page. Fans, players, and front office members. Whatever happens from here, it’ll be an off-season to be remembered.


Nick and I recapped the weekend on the latest episode of Bear With Us — check it out and let me know what you think.

Your Turn: What’s your take on the Fields trade?

551 Comments

First Week of Free Agency Reveals Continued Prudence, Patience of Poles

| March 16th, 2024


He doesn’t really care about you, Mr. Meatball.

He doesn’t care about your voracious desire for big-ticket free agent acquisitions.

He doesn’t care about your “we want Fields” chants on a blustery Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.

You wouldn’t pay a running back? He will.

You wouldn’t pay an off-ball linebacker? He’ll pay two.

You’re obsessed with the nonsense that has come to be called “good process.” He’s concerned with only one process: his.

Ryan Poles has a stubborn vision for how he intends to build the Chicago Bears into a contender and that stubbornness is why it feels like the Bears are finally in the right hands. It is a stubbornness that requires an ability sorely lacking since Jerry Angelo was unfairly chased out of town: self-awareness. When Poles interviewed for this job, he spent most his time with George McCaskey and Ted Phillips explaining all the deficiencies in the roster. He was not kind about his predecessor, and he did not sugarcoat what he believed was required to clean up the mess. In year one, he tore it all down. In year two, he began to reassemble. Many would argue that a general manager’s third year is when pressure to contend surfaces, but Poles knows that is not where the Chicago Bears currently sit in the NFL landscape, especially because they are about to take a quarterback with the first pick in the draft.

Would Christian Wilkins and Danielle Hunter have made the Bears better in 2024? Sure. But neither would make the Bears title contenders, and both would eat up sizable cap space in the future. Poles values flexibility. It’s a word he must have used 300 times in his post-season presser when discussing potential offensive coordinator hires. He’ll use this off-season to improve the roster and expect that improved roster to be playing January football this season. Then he’ll put the finishing touches on his rebuild next off-season, and expectations will rise.

In the meantime, the Bears will continue filling holes with cheaper veterans (Coleman Shelton at center) and hope those cheaper veterans become indispensable, requiring extensions (Andrew Billings). And they’ll wait and see if they can finally get correct the most important position in team sports: quarterback.


UPDATE: On Thursday evening, Ryan Poles executed the trade for Keenan Allen. 


Once again, prudence and patience won the day for Ryan Poles.

Having to part with only a mid-round pick, the Bears will now roster their best receiving duo since Marshall and Jeffery. DJ Moore and Keenan Allen will provide the incoming quarterback two of the most reliable outside targets in the sport, and arguably change the expectations level for the coming campaign.

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