Ryan Poles understood the pressure on his shoulders when he traded Justin Fields. That was the clearest signal that a change was coming to the quarterback position. Every GM knows their entire legacy on the job is defined by whether or not they solidified that spot. Many of his predecessors learned this lesson the hard way. Mark Hatley, Jerry Angelo, Phil Emery, and Ryan Pace all had their chances to solve it. All failed to varying degrees. Poles felt the time was right to go after his guy. He’d waited three years for the right opportunity and opted to go with former Heisman winner Caleb Williams.
Multiple factors drove his decision. The USC star had arm strength, accuracy, and mobility. His instincts for playmaking outside the offensive structure rivaled Patrick Mahomes. After digging deeper, he found teammates and coaches adored him for his level-headedness, work ethic, leadership, and ultra-competitive streak. The word that kept coming to mind was “special.” After a couple of months of watching him in OTAs and minicamps, Poles admitted to Cynthia Frelund of NFL Network that those same qualities are already showing up.
Ryan Poles doesn’t seem to be second-guessing his decision.
That is one thing about the Bears GM fans should appreciate. While he’s been wrong in the past, he has always been quick to recognize it. When it comes to the draft, he trusts the evaluations of his scouting department. He isn’t the type of person with an ego to think he knows everything. The work done on Williams was extensive. While Poles may have liked him, he made sure there was a consensus among his top scouts and front office execs before making a decision. This wasn’t another Ryan Pace going rogue to take Mitch Trubisky situation. Everybody was on the same page.
Williams has plenty of proving to do before people can call the pick a success. Winning games and looking like a franchise quarterback are two difficult things. Ryan Poles knows this. It is why he spent the past three off-seasons working tirelessly to prepare the roster for his quarterback’s arrival. The offensive line is young, athletic, and stable. They have three genuine 1a options at wide receiver with D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze. Cole Kmet is rock solid at tight end. If Williams can’t find early success with this setup, the hype on him may not have been justified.
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Textbook script, TGena; as positivity about the Bears circulates all around the league you start to play both sides of the fence on Poles while also making sure to take some credit away before it even gets here.
Sally do you actually believe the crap you write? We know it’s for your own entertainment. Your ego needs to be fed…
On the lighter side, you should check out the family photos taken by DJ Moore while in London last week. He went to China Town but did not eat there. Too bad, I have taken my friend to eat there for three birthdays in a row. Of course, the Peking Ducks, the hot spicy soups, noodles, and dumplings are great. If I had seen him, I could have made recommendations for only a small fee.
Just a question, or two, Erik: You say, “While he (Poles) has been wrong in the past, he has always been quick to recognize it.” How then, do you explain: Velus Jones Jr., Dominique Robinson, Lucas Patrick, Dante Pettis, Yannick Ngakoue, O-line coach Chris “C-Mo” Morgan, among others? Then you state: “He isn’t the type of person with an ego to think he knows everything.” Yet, he is the type to believe — despite numerous opinions (and warnings) in opposition — that he could miraculously reclaim the lost NFL careers of: Byron Pringle, Alex Leatherwood, N’Keal Harry, Chase Claypool, Nate… Read more »
Over at Bears Now, they are doing the Bears’ (and every other team’s) season on Madden. After beating the (Madden) Vikings, the Bears are 8-3, and I think the game isn’t making Caleb as good as he’s going to be in real life. Of course, this is a random sim, and Madden in this mode makes dumb decisions that affect games, but it’s amusing. I suspect we’ll see some early rookie mistakes and a strong finish to the season for Caleb. Combine that with many of the early games early in the season and a lot of the tough and… Read more »