TOP 25... Overrated & Underrated

[ericd7633]

They gave him weapons so that is all he can ask for. He has definitely shown improvement and I expect that to continue with what he has on offense. Their defense is still going to be suspect though

If he can become a better thrower, with better accuracy, he could be what Hurts has been for Philly. Hurts wasn't great his first two seasons, but took a huge leap in year 3. I don't think Fields will take that big of a leap, but I think he can be better. If you're him though, you gotta win games, because even if he's improved, I still think they'd take Williams or Maye if they are in a position to do so.

 

[ericd7633]

The Bears on one of the worst teams a QB can go to. Hated that Fields got drafted by them

Yeah, Chicago is where QB's go to die. I don't love the fit there either. But he's gotta try and make it work this year.

 

[Across The Field]

They gave him weapons so that is all he can ask for. He has definitely shown improvement and I expect that to continue with what he has on offense. Their defense is still going to be suspect though

It's going to be leaps and bounds better than it was last year so long as they can stay healthy. Their defense last year was one of the worst I've ever seen. Between weeks 7-15 last year, Fields made 7 starts and led them to an average PPG of 26.7 PPG in those starts. They went 1-6 in those 7 starts, yet morons out there tried to make up narratives about him not being a winner.

 

[Across The Field]

If he can become a better thrower, with better accuracy, he could be what Hurts has been for Philly. Hurts wasn't great his first two seasons, but took a huge leap in year 3. I don't think Fields will take that big of a leap, but I think he can be better. If you're him though, you gotta win games, because even if he's improved, I still think they'd take Williams or Maye if they are in a position to do so.

See my previous post on why that's ridiculous.

 

[osubuckeye89]

Yeah, Chicago is where QB's go to die. I don't love the fit there either. But he's gotta try and make it work this year.

It may be beneficial for him to end up elsewhere.

Bears fans would probably have a meltdown if they drafted Maye, considering how the last UNC QB experiment worked out for them.

 

[ericd7633]

Ok, Fields is 2 years into his career with two different HCs, OCs, QB coaches, and GMs, and no actual offensive weapons. If you can honestly tell me Williams or Maye could've played better in Chicago last year than Fields did, I guess that's your opinion. However, let's pump the brakes a bit.

I do think Williams and Maye would be better, as I just think overall they are better prospects and Williams' mobility is just as good as Fields' is. And Maye's is good as well. Plus they are better throwers of the football in terms of accuracy, which I think most would agree with.

 

[Across The Field]

I do think Williams and Maye would be better, as I just think overall they are better prospects and Williams' mobility is just as good as Fields' is. And Maye's is good as well. Plus they are better throwers of the football in terms of accuracy, which I think most would agree with.

And if either of them were drafted by the same Bears team from the past 2 seasons and played horribly (as everyone not named Rodgers or Mahomes would), you'd be saying how they have to improve and get better and figure out how to start winning despite the clear reason for the team's struggles? I find that unlikely.

 

[ericd7633]

See my previous post on why that's ridiculous.

It's not ridiculous IMO. If they are in a position to draft Williams or Maye, they most likely are going to do it. Even if they grade all 3 as equal prospects, getting an additional 3 years on a rookie scaled contract make it more than worth it. And I would guess, they rate Williams and Maye as better prospects. The Bears are actually in a great spot. If Fields performs, they have their guy, if not, they have two elite prospects to choose from.

 

[Across The Field]

It's not ridiculous IMO. If they are in a position to draft Williams or Maye, they most likely are going to do it. Even if they grade all 3 as equal prospects, getting an additional 3 years on a rookie scaled contract make it more than worth it. And I would guess, they rate Williams and Maye as better prospects. The Bears are actually in a great spot. If Fields performs, they have their guy, if not, they have two elite prospects to choose from.

As much as you like ragging on OSU QBs, why on earth are you calling Maye "elite"? UNC can't produce NFL talent at the QB position to save it's life and he plays in a significantly easier conference than OSU. It's also highly unlikely the Bears wind up in the position to draft either of them considering the significant upgrades they made on both sides of the ball.

 

[osubuckeye89]

As much as you like ragging on OSU QBs, why on earth are you calling Maye "elite"? UNC can't produce NFL talent at the QB position to save it's life and he plays in a significantly easier conference than OSU. It's also highly unlikely the Bears wind up in the position to draft either of them considering the significant upgrades they made on both sides of the ball.

Exactly lol. Ohio State QBs are "System QBs" but UNCs arent?

 

[ericd7633]

And if either of them were drafted by the same Bears team from the past 2 seasons and played horribly (as everyone not named Rodgers or Mahomes would), you'd be saying how they have to improve and get better and figure out how to start winning despite the clear reason for the team's struggles? I find that unlikely.

Yeah, I'd be saying the same thing. Fields and the team have to win games, or I think they move on from him after this season. As you mentioned, this isn't the GM or coach that drafted him. They aren't tied to him. Not only does it make sense from a player standpoint(meaning Williams/Maye are better), but it also gives them both added tenure to get it figured out. If you're in position to draft either one of them, and pass, and you're bad in Fields' year 4, both are on the hot seat, if not fired.

 

[ericd7633]

As much as you like ragging on OSU QBs, why on earth are you calling Maye "elite"? UNC can't produce NFL talent at the QB position to save it's life and he plays in a significantly easier conference than OSU. It's also highly unlikely the Bears wind up in the position to draft either of them considering the significant upgrades they made on both sides of the ball.

I think Maye is an elite prospect. FWIW, I thought Fields' was as well, just slightly below Maye though. And you're right, UNC hasn't produced an NFL QB, so I could end up being wrong. And if they aren't in position to take him, it means Fields' showed improvement, the team won more, and they have their guy.

 

[ericd7633]

It may be beneficial for him to end up elsewhere.

Bears fans would probably have a meltdown if they drafted Maye, considering how the last UNC QB experiment worked out for them.

If he's decent to good, but the team stinks and has a high draft pick, I would think a team like Atlanta would make sense to try and trade for him. Or the Raiders given who they have at QB.

 

[Across The Field]

Yeah, I'd be saying the same thing. Fields and the team have to win games, or I think they move on from him after this season. As you mentioned, this isn't the GM or coach that drafted him. They aren't tied to him. Not only does it make sense from a player standpoint(meaning Williams/Maye are better), but it also gives them both added tenure to get it figured out. If you're in position to draft either one of them, and pass, and you're bad in Fields' year 4, both are on the hot seat, if not fired.

This seems to be the cycle that keeps bad teams bad. Making personnel decisions that aren't addressing the real problems with the team because they feel like they have to make a major, splashy move. Again, Fields is a long way from being discarded. He showed obviously elite athleticism last year, possibly the best at the position, while not being awful throwing despite the worst collection of weapons in the NFL.

 

[ericd7633]

This seems to be the cycle that keeps bad teams bad. Making personnel decisions that aren't addressing the real problems with the team because they feel like they have to make a major, splashy move. Again, Fields is a long way from being discarded. He showed obviously elite athleticism last year, possibly the best at the position, while not being awful throwing despite the worst collection of weapons in the NFL.

Fields was the splashy move though. We'll see if it was ultimately the right decision. I do think trading the #1 pick was the right move to collect more assets to get him more help. He is elite athletically, but he needs to be more accurate. In Lamar's MVP season he was at 66%. He just needs to be better at that.

 

[Across The Field]

Fields was the splashy move though. We'll see if it was ultimately the right decision. I do think trading the #1 pick was the right move to collect more assets to get him more help. He is elite athletically, but he needs to be more accurate. In Lamar's MVP season he was at 66%. He just needs to be better at that.

I don't know about Fields being "splashy". They'd had 4 years of Trubisky in which he hadn't really taken any kind of step forward, and his contract was up.

It's funny you bring up Lamar. Last year, he and Fields were very similar statistically from a passing standpoint, even though Lamar had a top-3 OL in the NFL and an elite pass-catcher at TE. Lamar got rewarded with a massive new contract. I know he won an MVP once, but for clarity, he won the MVP before we even knew what Covid was.

 

[ericd7633]

I don't know about Fields being "splashy". They'd had 4 years of Trubisky in which he hadn't really taken any kind of step forward, and his contract was up.

It's funny you bring up Lamar. Last year, he and Fields were very similar statistically from a passing standpoint, even though Lamar had a top-3 OL in the NFL and an elite pass-catcher at TE. Lamar got rewarded with a massive new contract. I know he won an MVP once, but for clarity, he won the MVP before we even knew what Covid was.

They traded a bunch to move up and take him though. Yeah, they needed a QB, I'm just saying they gave up a lot to move up.

And yeah, Lamar wasn't great last year(though better than Fields' was IMO, but not drastic or anything). If Lamar plays like he has the last two seasons, that contract is gonna be an albatross. Lamar was amazing in 2019 and 2020 though.

 

[Across The Field]

They traded a bunch to move up and take him though. Yeah, they needed a QB, I'm just saying they gave up a lot to move up.

And yeah, Lamar wasn't great last year(though better than Fields' was IMO, but not drastic or anything). If Lamar plays like he has the last two seasons, that contract is gonna be an albatross. Lamar was amazing in 2019 and 2020 though.

Eh, I don't know if I'd call it a bunch. They moved up 9 spots giving up a 1st, 4th, and 5th. It's not like the idiot Browns with Houston or the myriad other idiotic tradeups we've seen in recent years. Had they done that after Trubisky's 2nd year when he was actually not bad, I definitely would've called it splashy. Lamar was better than Fields in some areas (comp%, RTG, INT) and worse in others (YPA, TD%), but was obviously in a better situation. I do think that Lamar contract is going to be horrendous down the road though. He was unreal in 2019, very good in 2020, and mediocre at best the last two years. It seemed like a very un-Baltimore type of contract, but Cleveland screwed everyone up I guess.

 

[Handicappers]

Fields won’t even start all 17 games. He will get injured or benched.

 

[ericd7633]

Eh, I don't know if I'd call it a bunch. They moved up 9 spots giving up a 1st, 4th, and 5th. It's not like the idiot Browns with Houston or the myriad other idiotic tradeups we've seen in recent years. Had they done that after Trubisky's 2nd year when he was actually not bad, I definitely would've called it splashy. Lamar was better than Fields in some areas (comp%, RTG, INT) and worse in others (YPA, TD%), but was obviously in a better situation. I do think that Lamar contract is going to be horrendous down the road though. He was unreal in 2019, very good in 2020, and mediocre at best the last two years. It seemed like a very un-Baltimore type of contract, but Cleveland screwed everyone up I guess.

Not as much as others, I'd agree, but that '22 pick turned into 7 overall. And had a bunch of OT's and WR's, which would have helped them.

And yeah, I agree. Seemed like they paid for the 2019/2020 production. But Cleveland messed up the market with that terrible Watson deal. If Watson is as bad as he looked last year, yikes. Might be the worst contract ever. Would have been better paying Baker 7 million or whatever he's getting from Tampa this season.