Team president Kevin Warren arrived in January and took power in April. Everybody thought he was only hired to give the Chicago Bears a new stadium. Yes, but that is only part of it. George McCaskey made it clear Warren was a serious power broker in Halas Hall. Everybody in the building would answer to him, including GM Ryan Poles. In the months since Warren has steadily evaluated every level of the Bears operation. He’s working hard to get a sense of how the organization operates and where changes might be needed.
That includes the football operations. He had no say in Poles’ hiring, as well as head coach Matt Eberflus’. As the team sits at 4-8 with some ugly moments over the past couple of months, there is an undercurrent of belief that changes are coming. What isn’t clear is how high they may go. Eberflus is on the hottest seat, but some feel Poles isn’t safe either. Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron asked Bears insider Brad Biggs about the situation. From what he’s gathered, the young GM isn’t going anywhere.
“Based on what I’ve seen and heard, Ryan Poles and Kevin Warren have a strong working relationship that they’re probably still developing. Kevin hasn’t been in the building for all that long. He was hired last January and didn’t start until April, right? So I think they’ve probably hit it off to start with…I would think Poles is okay. More than okay. I think Poles is on solid ground right now with Kevin Warren, with George McCaskey.”
Ryan Poles seems to have made a good impression.
That isn’t a surprise. There is evidence on the field. Several of his acquisitions, especially D.J. Moore and Montez Sweat, have played well down the stretch. The two big trade additions are in line to make the Pro Bowl and have elevated the team to more competitive football of late. On top of that, several of Poles’ draft picks are starting to blossom. Jaquan Brisker, Kyler Gordon, Braxton Jones, Darnell Wright, and Tyrique Stevenson all look like solid starters. Gervon Dexter and Terell Smith have also flashed serious potential.
It feels like the team is pointed in the right direction. They could be one more strong off-season away from a playoff run. Much of it depends on if they can find some consistency at quarterback and if they secure a quality head coach. Eberflus may save himself with a few wins down the stretch, but all indications are he’s in trouble. The fact is that whatever happens, Ryan Poles will be involved in the important decisions. He passed his test. Odds are he will begin the hunt for a new quarterback. Warren could assist him in searching for a new coach as well.
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@BANE_CO — You bring up some great points: the NFC North GMs; ProFootballFocus; Bears player “development;” and Ryan Poles’ role in the progress (or regression) of a team under his direction. I often refer to PFF because it is a published, reasonably accurate chronicle of player PERFORMANCE — not a talent evaluation, nor a projection of a player’s future value — but simply grades on past game performance. Subscribers can access data from any NFL players’ career — with game-by-game grades and statistics (including NCAA career data). I understand your hope that Bears players will improve with really good coaching… Read more »
@TGena, why not do a comparison between Gutekunst first 2 drafts and see what the results were? I know you are all about the numbers of PFF. I don’t much care about them because they don’t show progress. When most of these guys are rookies or 2nd year guys, excluding the FA’s and trade acquisitions, then I want to see progress. These guys are going to be, with proper coaching, so much better next season. Of course Poles isn’t going to be as good as Gutekunst right now. All his 7-22 record confirms is that they still lack the talent… Read more »
@BANE_CO — I understand that is what you have been told, but let’s fact check those claims. I often use ProFootballFocus (PFF) as an arbiter. You might care to familiarize yourself with the grading process they apply. It is fully described in an article entitled, “All you need to know about how PFF FC grades are calculated.” There, you’ll learn that an overall grade of “60” is considered to be “average.” Below are the season overall grade that PFF awarded Bears players (through 12 games). Noah Sewell: 86.5 Terrell Smith: 69.1 Braxton Jones: 68.7; 7 penalties Roschon Johnson: 66.3 Jaquan… Read more »
Poor @TGena must be on her period again.
Darnell Wright, Jaquan Brisker, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Terrell Smith, Braxton Jones are probably the top picks. Likely starters on other teams. Then you look at Gervon Dexter, Tyler Scott, Roschon Johnson, Noah Sewell as guys that are doing well and being part players. Hard to say he’s done poorly when he’s had 2 drafts and was handcuffed in the first one. Its not going to be a world beater team in 2 drafts when the cupboard was bare to begin with and the plan is build through the draft. He’s done well bringing in DJ Moore and Montez Sweat… Read more »