Fitterer setting low expectations.

[Mr. Scot]

27 minutes ago, Smithers said:

I get your point for sure.  But, I simply don’t see any way Fitt wasn’t help make the calls.  A few seconds of video showing Rhule discuss the selection isn’t enough to convince me.  I imagine Fitt worked with the team to narrow down a few choices at each pick.  Rhule then had the latitude to pick from that list.  No way the GM had zero control over who we selected.  And his comments today, IMO, affirm that. 

Fitterer ran the personnel department, scouting and all of that, exactly what a GM typically does. He could make recommendations, but didn't have the final call. 

It's kind of like what Jay Gruden described from his time in Washington, only with the head coach instead of the owner.

Insiders have helped fill in the blanks.

A couple of the things mentioned were that the quarterback decisions all fell to Rhule, who wasn't a big fan of rookies. He wanted Mayfield, and got him, but that offseason Fitterer repeatedly talked about building around a rookie being the right way to go in a manner that almost made it sound like he was arguing a point.

What it ultimately sounds like is that internally, Fitterer pushed for the team to draft a quarterback. Not necessarily a specific quarterback, but a quarterback. Corral ended up being the guy, a lot of which had to do with Ben McAdoo.

After the draft, Rhule got the veteran he wanted. Fitterer still wanted to try and build around a rookie, but he wasn't going to have that opportunity under Rhule.

Then Rhule was fired, Reich was hired, and here we are.

Edited August 31, 2023 by Mr. Scot

[tukafan21]

24 minutes ago, pantherj said:

The offense is very depleted with the loss of CMC and DJ, and it wasn't that good even with them. You can't subtract those two players and add what we did and expect good results. The WR corps is obviously not good enough, and the o-line looks like it's going to have pass blocking issues. That means get ready for 13 point games on our side whenever we play a good team.

Having said that, we're going to have to take our medicine now in the hopes that Young can be the type of QB we can win the SB with. It's all about the future for the time being. Yes we will enjoy the season, but we're obviously not headed to the playoffs. It's fun to be positive and anything can happen, but I just don't see a good season coming up.

We're in need of a #1 WR badly. Young needs a player who can get separation and win 50/50 balls. A dominant receiver is not on our roster. That means we will have to scheme our receivers open, or throw them open. That puts pressure on Young and the coaching staff, and you don't want that. But we didn't secure a #1 WR in free agency, so now we're going to struggle. it's going to be tough and frustrating, but it's been that way for so long that it won't be a shock.

Yes lower your expectations. Asking Young to drag this offense down the field as a rookie is going to be painful. The team will be built up from here to fit Young and our coaches. That's why I want those 1st round picks for Burns so badly. But it is what it is now. We'll need to hit free agency hard next season.  

I think much of this is an odd overreaction that many around here have had and I struggle to understand why, because all of the following are true……

Bryce, even as a rookie should be better than what we had at QB last year.  

We brought back the entire OL

Sanders is an upgrade over Foreman (no, not over CMC but we were terrible when we had CMC, didn’t go on the run we did till after he was gone)

Yes losing Moore hurts, but our overall WR room is better than it was last year.

Defense really didn’t lose anyone of significance while we added a few good pieces.

Coaching staff as a whole is significantly improved.

When you take a 7 win team and then do everything noted above, I don’t get the doom and gloom some people have with saying it will take time.  I think we’ll be decent pretty quickly, there really isn’t any reason for them not to be when you look at it like the above.  But I also don’t think we’re legitimate contenders, I think we’re a 7-9 win team who will be in almost every game in the 4th quarter and challenge for the division or a WC spot.

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by tukafan21

[CamWhoaaCam]

29 minutes ago, 4Corners said:

Such crap. Already making excuses. Really good idea to trade a potential top 5 pick next year if you are in it for a rebuild. A complete joke. 

This is what gets me. You trade away a elite talent in DJ Moore and you trade future picks. Why do all that and still say we are rebuilding.

 

 

How do you rebuild without those picks?

 

Tepper is a clown!

[Mr. Scot]

18 minutes ago, Camp Fodder said:

Not sure it set us back. We were 15-1 and in the SB 2 years later 

I'm not either, but I remember that being a theory some folks here bought into.

[Luciu5]

37 minutes ago, Smithers said:

Idk - at the end of the day it’s a business and his reputation and career is on the line.  Why take the blame for endless failed draft picks (especially when the other guy happily blamed you) unless you had a part in it.  I get taking the high road and all, but it’s a sorry frog that doesn’t croak for his own Lilly pad. Especially when your reputation is on the line.  

Taking the high road in public is the right thing to do, and doesn't matter at all. Behind closed doors, people in the building knows what's what. Maybe that is Fitterer, maybe it's Rhule, maybe it's Tepper making the picks. Everyone in those meetings knows who was making each pick, where there were disagreements and when people deferred and who was overruled entirely. They all know, and there is absolutely 0 reason to air whatever laundry at a press conference.

Good leaders take responsibilty. They don't throw people under the bus in public.

[tukafan21]

32 minutes ago, 4Corners said:

Such crap. Already making excuses. Really good idea to trade a potential top 5 pick next year if you are in it for a rebuild. A complete joke. 

Only way we gift the Bears a top 5 pick is if Bryce gets hurt or this staff really screws up.

We weren’t even a top 5 pick this year, I think people forget at times that we traded up to #1 and that we weren’t the worst team in the league.

We had the 9th pick, upgraded the roster at every position other than WR #1 (but improved the room) and people think we’re going to be worse this year.

Make it make sense

[pantherj]

3 minutes ago, tukafan21 said:

I think much of this is an odd overreaction that many around here have had and I struggle to understand why, because all of the following are true……

Bryce, even as a rookie should be better than what we had at QB last year.  
We brought back the entire OL

Sanders is an upgrade over Foreman (no, not over CMC but we were terrible when we had CMC, didn’t go on the run we did till after he was gone)

Yes losing Moore hurts, but our overall WR room is better than it was last year.

Defense really didn’t lose anyone of significance while we added a few good pieces.

Coaching staff as a whole is significantly improved.

When you take a 7 win team and then do everything noted above, I don’t get the doom and gloom some people have with saying it will take time.  I think we’ll be decent pretty quickly, there really isn’t any reason for them not to be when you look at it like the above.  But I also don’t think we’re legitimate contenders, I think we’re a 7-9 win team who will be in almost every game in the 4th quarter and challenge for the division or a WC spot.

 

If you really want to come up with prediction of how our season is going to go, then don't compare last season's team to this season's team. Compare our roster to the rosters of teams we're going to play this season. We're not playing the teams we played last season this season. I think Vegas has us at 7 wins the last time I looked. I think that is a bit generous, but not that far off.

[Pup McBarky]

32 minutes ago, ForJimmy said:

So he basically said we will have growing pains early but look better by year end and people think it’s a complete rebuild? What am I missing??

You strike me as someone who isn't here just for attention nor someone who reasons like a child. Those would be a couple of reasons for some of the more stupid reactionary responses here. It's also why I rarely post during the season. Just brain-numbingly stupid and frustrating.

[Manna]

I don't care. Just win. 

[Tbe]

9 minutes ago, CamWhoaaCam said:

This is what gets me. You trade away a elite talent in DJ Moore and you trade future picks. Why do all that and still say we are rebuilding.

 

 

How do you rebuild without those picks?

 

Tepper is a clown!

I think in a few years the idea of passing on Bryce in order to keep DJ Moore and a few picks will sound pretty dumb.

[Mr. Scot]

36 minutes ago, ForJimmy said:

So he basically said we will have growing pains early but look better by year end and people think it’s a complete rebuild? What am I missing??

Emotional reactions?

[mrcompletely11]

29 minutes ago, CamWhoaaCam said:

This is what gets me. You trade away a elite talent in DJ Moore and you trade future picks. Why do all that and still say we are rebuilding.

 

 

How do you rebuild without those picks?

 

Tepper is a clown!

Its almost as if you didnt listen to us when we clearly explained to you what this season is.

[CamWhoaaCam]

24 minutes ago, Tbe said:

I think in a few years the idea of passing on Bryce in order to keep DJ Moore and a few picks will sound pretty dumb.

Oh I hope you're right. My thing is this franchise has accepted losing. Every year it's the same thing. Fans are fed up with the losing culture.

 

I think Bryce will be elite sooner than later. I just hope they find a way to get him some on offense. Maybe that happens in FA next year who knows.

[CamWhoaaCam]

8 minutes ago, mrcompletely11 said:

Its almost as if you didnt listen to us when we clearly explained to you what this season is.

I listened I just refuse to accept a losing culture. I was buying into what Frank was preaching about contending right away. I thought with Rhule gone we would finally see change.