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[Icege]

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow

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After going 3-14 in Year 1, scouts are convinced Poles would’ve taken Williams No. 1 if he was draft eligible. He was not. Nor was Poles interested in either Alabama’s Bryce Young or Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. Especially the latter. They quickly breezed through his clips. “Because,” one scout adds, “he had an Ohio State helmet. He said, ‘I can’t take another quarterback from Ohio State. The media would kill me.’ Stroud wasn’t given a day in court.” Rather, Poles was tantalized by Florida’s Manchurian quarterback Anthony Richardson. After viewing Richardson’s stunning 81-yard touchdown run vs. LSU in a draft meeting, two sources recall Poles joking he’d walk to the podium with his balls “in a wheelbarrow” to take the QB, a nod to the South Park meme. The Bears’ QB board then was 1.) Richardson; 2.) Young; 3.) Stroud.

Granted, visions of Williams were dancing in his head. Poles dealt the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers, bagged wide receiver D.J. Moore in addition to four draft picks, rolled with Justin Fields for another season and — as the Panthers bottomed out — excitement only grew. And grew. And all sources interviewed believe the GM’s mind was made up early as December 2023.

“Poles saw a lot of similarities to Mahomes,” says one Bears scout. “And so because of those similarities, he started to really have an infatuation with Caleb. Throughout the year there was a lot of work done behind the scenes. He definitely was all-in on Caleb from the moment that there was an opportunity for us to acquire him. That was the guy he knew he wanted. I don’t know how much time he spent personally on the rest of the guys.”

When scouts showed up for the 2024 draft meetings to discuss one of the most consequential decisions in team history, the proceedings felt like a sham. Perhaps the team’s quartet of Poles, assistant GM Ian Cunningham, senior director of player personnel Jeff King and director of player personnel Trey Koziol held their own summits to engage in robust debate behind closed doors. It was obvious early that contrasting voices would be treated as white noise. A laughable “dog and pony show” is how one personnel man described meetings amongst the whole group.

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One time, a position coach completely changed his opinion on a prominent player, and it wasn’t a matter of organically seeing the light. This scout saw Poles “manipulate” and “taint” how that coach viewed that player. Early on, Poles leaned into Cunningham. One colleague believed the assistant GM did an effective job of covering up Poles’ deficiencies and calls him the better leader of the two. Cunningham would challenge scouts and Poles alike. His voice has faded a bit. King is now viewed as the man who has the GM’s ear and a respected future GM himself. But overall? Poles, scouts say, repels dissent.

    “He is not a leader,” says one Bears scout in that ’24 room. “I’ve worked with people who are leaders that worked and motivated you. They’ve got a human element where they get to know you. You want to do a good job for them. He is ill-equipped for the job. He doesn’t possess any of that. He likes the people who kiss up to him, as opposed to somebody who can smell that out and wouldn’t want those people around him. A good leader — a good GM — has people keep you in check. They should disagree with you and challenge you. He doesn’t like that.”

That’s Howie Roseman’s modus operandi in Philadelphia. His staff is full of experienced evaluators who’ll force him to use a different part of his brain. Bill Belichick, for all of his gruffness, genuinely listens. He may like your idea. He may hate it. But you don’t feel patronized. The tales of close friends Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur and Mike McDaniel clashing behind the scenes are legendary. Those marathon sessions that dragged on for hours innovated the sport. Force yourself to think outside the box and a breakthrough is inevitable.

The best businesses, period, demand all employees in all departments to speak up, make their opinion known and justify that opinion with a strong Why.

Only fearlessness launches a perennial loser in the NFL into contention.

None of that existed the spring of ’24 in Chicago.

I had no idea that former Panthers blocking TE Jeff King was working in front offices now, let alone that he was the senior director of player personnel for the Bears.

Edited 6 hours ago by Icege

[Icege]

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To understand how the ’24 draft and ’24 season spiraled out of control so terribly fast, consider the GM’s rise.

Poles was not the bleary-eyed area scout surviving on three hours of sleep, 6 ½ cups of coffee and Chick-Fil-A one county highway to the next. This foundation callouses the mind and helps GMs truly listen to everyone beneath them. Above all, there’s immeasurable value to grading prospects on a blank slate because there’s zero answers to the test. Area scouts watch a player compete in practice, play in games, investigate character, sift through all BS spewed by college coaches hyping up their guys and effectively put your own reputation on the line with a report. You’ll hit. You’ll miss. Countless scouts fall flat on their face and realize this leap of faith is not for them. The best develop instincts that warrant a string of promotions with a front office.

In the NFL, every area scout submits a grade first. Then, the national scouts. Then, the directors. Then, the scouting coordinator (in theory) can see what everyone already has put into the system and grade somewhere in the middle to appear correct.

In KC, Poles was not the first person to grade players. A handful of Chiefs scouts were shocked he got the keys to an NFL roster. The former Boston College lineman spent one year as a scouting assistant for Scott Pioli (2009) before vaulting into a college scouting coordinator role in 2010. After five years, he received three more director-level promotions before taking over the Bears.

“He never proved that he was a scout,” says one personnel man who has worked with Poles. “The only way that you should ever possess the power to make picks is if you’ve shown this. He never did that. He had all the answers to the test. He could put a grade higher or lower. Frankly, my wife can do that. Then, he got promoted to director. He never had his ass hanging out there. He never showed he could evaluate.”

Another scout disagrees. He believes you can mature in different ways and cites John Dorsey as one of Poles’ mentors in KC. To him, the issue is more so Poles’ fixation on “traits” and “potential,” a philosophy shared by ex-Chiefs scouting colleague Chris Ballard. (Coincidentally, as the Colts’ GM, Ballard selected Richardson fourth overall in the ’23 draft.) Blunders in Chicago have multiplied. Claiming former first-rounder Alex Leatherwood off waivers despite the warnings of several on staff that he’d be a cancer. Paying up for guard Nate Davis. Dealing a second-round pick for Chase Claypool. Drafting Velus Jones, a 25-year-old wide receiver. Paying Tremaine Edmunds $18 million per year instead of Roquan Smith $20 million. Letting David Montgomery, the epitome of culture, walk. Choosing Zacch Pickens on the defensive line 13 picks before Byron Young. Drafting Yale offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie 75th overall. On and on. 

Ah, that explains why Leatherwood never seemed to catch on anywhere.

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Up close, the general manager of this team got to know all of the top quarterback prospects in the 2023 and 2024 drafts. This effervescent longtime scout was also on the hunt. He, conversely, values the “blink reaction” meeting anyone in life.

And this GM had no clue what to expect when he made eye contact and started asking quarterbacks questions. He prepared himself for disappointment in this new NIL world, and was certifiably shocked.

• Whispers of “entitlement” and “arrogance” surrounded C.J. Stroud. Two minutes into conversation? “You’re obsessed with him. There’s a confidence to him. A swagger. But there’s an honesty.” When the Buckeye QB discussed his faith — what he believes to his core — it wasn’t forced or rehearsed. The GM could see how Stroud’s honesty might’ve rubbed other NFL types the wrong way. “But,” he adds, “that’s a dude you want to go battle with.”

• Alabama’s Bryce Young first appeared programmed, as if he had planned for this interview his entire life. Young was so unbelievably locked in that the GM wondered if he was getting an agent-powered robot or the true artifact. “But that’s who he is. He can be a representative of this organization.”

• Onto the 2024 class, he heard “weird” tales around the meditating J.J. McCarthy, but when they sat down? “Whoa, the presence is real. You can feel that alpha. You can feel he’s a real football dude. This guy can lead.” Both Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. transferred, became faces of their respective programs, and rallied everyone around them in a special manner. Nix was a diligent worker to the bone. Everyone who knew Penix raved about his charisma. That, too, was evident.

• Drake Maye was more laidback. He didn’t exude alpha, yet was obviously “an awesome young man.” The GM saw shades of Justin Herbert.

• And, oh, Jayden Daniels? The GM tried to catch him off-guard by telling the quarterback he had a late-round grade on him at Arizona State. Then, he explodes at LSU? What happened? Daniels looked him dead in the eye and said he’s been dominating since high school. “That’s who he is,” the GM says. “I felt it.”

All of the above treated an interview as an interview.

They matched the GM’s energy. They were respectful.

Then, there was the quarterback ballyhooed more than them all.

“Caleb? When I say one of the worst, there’s this natural arrogance, this entitlement to him. All these other guys that I just mentioned are top-tier quarterbacks and they know it. They had a presence right away you’re like, ‘Oh poo.’ Jayden Daniels came in really confident, but he was on an interview. It’s a difference.

“With Caleb, it wasn’t an interview. It was like somebody told him he had to come in there. The way he answered the questions. The way he carried himself. If you’re picking first overall, second overall — you know how talented he is — but that would’ve made you uncomfortable like, ‘God damn.’ After you see the way Jayden Daniels came in there, the way Bo Nix came in there, the way Michael Penix came in there, JJ McCarthy, and then that? Ugh. After that, I kept trying to go back and try to figure out, ‘Have I met somebody like this that’s been a really successful NFL quarterback? A franchise changing NFL quarterback?’ I couldn’t come up with anybody.”

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“But the most important part of that position is not the physical talent,” he says. “Is everybody going to believe in you and play their ass off for you? Can you do that? Can you get everybody to buy in? There’s a reason there’s such a high failure rate. There’s a reason we’ve got 32 teams and we don’t have 32 real dudes at that position. There’s a reason! It is unique. That’s the most important thing with that position: the intangible qualities. And that’s a real question with Caleb.”

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The New England Patriots, sitting at No. 3, actually had a pleasant Combine experience. After hearing rumors that Williams was going to blow them off, the QB strolled in at 8:58 for a 9 p.m. meeting, and was fine. Next, the Patriots brass flew west to USC’s pro day and hoped to get exclusive time with Williams to learn more. Arranging a simple meet-up quickly became something like getting transferred repeatedly on a call to an internet provider because Williams didn’t have an agent. Through the QB’s entourage of handlers, they tried to set up a time. The Patriots said they could carve out an hour or two wherever Williams had a gap in his schedule. The plan was to chat, get the quarterback on the board to break down plays, nothing extravagant.

“We were spinning over backwards for this guy,” one Patriots source says.

One handler finally called to say that, while Williams appreciates the interest, he doesn’t think New England had the ammo to trade up to No. 1. Huh? One Patriots exec stressed that even if everyone on earth thinks the quarterback is Bears-bound, anything can happen. What if he slipped? Of course the Patriots needed time with someone on their radar. It fell on deaf ears. There was no meeting in Southern California. With time to kill, the Patriots contingent drank a few cold ones, flew home and Williams refused their Top 30 invite.

The New York Giants, at No. 4, couldn’t get near Williams after the Combine. No visits. No dinners. No meetings. Daniels visited New Jersey, but not Williams. “We tried multiple times,” one Giants source says, “and kept getting shut down.” The Giants were also pinballed handler to handler and couldn’t figure out who was in charge of what when it came to Caleb, Inc.

[Icege]

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“He can be a John Elway or he can be an Eli Manning,” says the GM, who had the awful Combine interview with Williams. “He doesn’t want to go to the place where quarterbacks die. I’m assuming what happened is the Bears flipped it — into recruit mode. Obviously, it’d be pretty damn embarrassing if a quarterback refuses to go to your organization. They were looking at it from a different lens then a lot of other people. That’s their guy, that’s their quarterback. They’re recruiting him.”

Other QB-needy teams stopped wasting their time, accepted he was a “different cat” and moved on.

“But Chicago,” this GM says, “obviously had to go through the depths of everything.”

About that.

When I share what Bears sources told Go Long — that Williams has dyslexia and offensive coaches were left in the dark — this GM is stunned.

After repeating “wow” three times, he plainly explains how they handle such matters. No. 1, he tells his area scouts that it’s not their job to merely gather information — they’ve got to investigate. If a coach claims his player has a photographic memory, don’t just write it down and take the intel as fact. Figure it out. Connect it to the field. What do you see? Is that same player lining up on his team’s side of the field every play so a coach can tell him what to do? Is he refusing all cognitive tests? NFL teams must thoroughly pick apart the mental side of the sport — all livelihoods inside your building depend on it.

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Eight GMs, execs and scouts for other teams we spoke to for this series say they did not know Williams had a condition.

The first thing one AFC GM would’ve done is relay this intel to the coaches to get their approval — is this workable? If so, he would’ve hired the best person he could who specializes in dyslexia and stressed for the coaches to present their playbook and play calls in a digestible format. Map this all out from April to September. “Have a plan,” he says. “Especially when you’re picking first.” One NFC GM viewed Williams as an introvert and non-leader. He thought it was odd that the quarterback didn’t play any other team sports growing up — he only swam.

But this? And Bears coaches had zero clue? “Oh poo,” he says. “That’s insane.”

One assistant GM in the AFC is surprised by the news, but points out that collegiate quarterbacks aren’t required to treat a playbook as a daily bible and study “X” hours of film. Talent alone overwhelms. Fact is, Williams still threw for 8,170 yards with 72 touchdowns in two seasons at USC. He cannot believe coaches were kept in the dark. (“As an organization, that’s bad.”) One assistant GM in the NFC says his team would’ve hired a learning specialist, a psychologist, a whole posse of experts to do everything in their power to make sure that 72-touchdown weapon in college flourished in the pros.

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What smart people around the NFL do not understand is why the Bears didn’t open their eyes to one specific alternative. The prize was right there. There were teams willing to part with two or three first-round picks for Jayden Daniels. His intelligence. His work ethic. His athleticism. All of it was on par with some of the best quarterbacks who’ve gone No. 1 overall this century. And unlike Williams, he tore through SEC defenses. To one GM picking in the Top 10, Williams was shorter and less athletic. He doesn’t understand why Chicago saw such a canyon-sized gap between the two.

 

[Icege]

As much as this article has shocked me with how bad everything seems over in Chicago, it has made me that much more of a fan of Jayden Daniels. They cover how he's the first in the building, that Bobby Wagner sees him as a long-lost little brother due to his work ethic + approach to personal improvement, and how he used some German VR thing at x1.75 NFL speed to work on his progressions leading into the season. That's awesome.

But in Chicago...

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When Poles heard Daniels was using this VR system, one source tells us, he said the Bears should get one for Williams. In the end, it didn’t happen. The Bears could not justify the cost because they figured the quarterback wouldn’t use it.

“Tell me what the fug is wrong with that,” this source says. “How about you make him use it? How about you sit down and tell him, ‘Here’s what you’ve got to do. We are getting this for you. We expect you to use it X amount of times a week. We want you to watch one hour a day or five times a week.’ Whatever it is.”

Damn, Kyler catching strays too

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One assistant GM compares Williams to Arizona’s Kyler Murray in that both are frontrunners. When the going’s good, he’s on. When adversity strikes? “It’s all downhill.”

 

[LinvilleGorge]

It was blatantly obvious that Caleb Williams was a very fragile diva in college. I have no idea how anyone could've believed he could handle being an NFL QB after watching him run to literally crying in mommy's arms after the meanies dared best him on the field. Good lord. It was embarrassing watching people defend him saying that was evidence of how passionate he was. Listen, there's a difference between being passionate and being bitch made and running to go cry in mommy's arms because your team lost a game is way on the wrong side of that line if you're a grown ass man. You're 12 and lost in the Little League World Series? Okay, yeah. Getting ready to enter the NFL draft and lost a college game? Man the fug up.

[csx]

At least people like Bryce and hes guard worker