GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus arrived in Chicago with a plan. They knew which systems they wanted to install and, most importantly, the type of roster they wanted to build. The common words they’ve used repeatedly since arriving last year are long, fast, intelligent, and physical. Those are the prototype traits they seek. Obviously, it will vary from position to position, but the new Bears regime has clear guidelines for how they want this roster to look. Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells would applaud this.
While best known for his coaching accomplishments, Parcells also earned a strong reputation for scouting and personnel work during his long career. From 1993 through 2000, he was the head coach and general manager for the Patriots and Jets. During that time, he selected names such as Drew Bledsoe, Willie McGinest, Ty Law, Curtis Martin, Lawyer Milloy, James Farrior, Shaun Ellis, and John Abraham. In an article for The 33rd Team, he credited this success to lessons he learned from other greats of the game.
One particular lesson stood out above the rest.
When someone brought you a player that didn’t meet the prototypical structure, he was an exception. Generally speaking, the prototype height, weight and speeds were adhered to as strongly as possible. Tom Landry told me one time, “Bill, if you start drafting exceptions, pretty soon you’re going to have a team full of exceptions.”
The people — and former Raiders’ owner Al Davis was among them — who told me if you don’t have your philosophy on personnel and you don’t have your prototypical values in place on personnel, pretty soon, and these were their exact words, “Your team looks like a dog pound. One of these … one of those … big ones … little ones … ones that bite … ones that don’t.”
In other words, if a player doesn’t fit your prototype, then the odds of him having success on your team are remote.
The Bears followed Bill Parcells’ advice in their first draft.
Looking back at the 2022 class, every pick follows Poles and Eberflus’s guidelines. Each player met the criteria they were looking for. Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker brought athleticism, instincts, and physicality. Velus Jones brought speed and quickness. Braxton Jones had size, length, and mobility. All four were quality contributors for the Bears most of the season. It was validation that their approach was sound. They may not have found a true superstar yet, but it’s reasonable to believe staying on this path will yield one eventually.
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It did for Bill Parcells more than once. Part of having success in the NFL is having an identity. When you know the type of team you believe can win games, it becomes easier to construct. Having prototypes reduces the clutter of a draft board. Certain players that don’t meet the size, speed or length requirements get removed from consideration. Sure, a few of them might be good, but the risk outweighs the reward. You already know what traits most often work in the NFL. Stick to that.
“All four were quality contributors for the Bears most of the season.”
Ummm…..NO!
Velus contributed to zero wins, while it is not a stretch to say his punt return Muffs DID contribute to turning two possible wins into defeats.
Parcels autographed an omlet i was eating. Go it framed and hanging me wall.
Probably not a better affirmation available than Parcells. As accomplished and competent as anyone alive.
And just for accuracy, Velus Jones was not a “quality contributor for most of the season.” He cost them at least one game early on and only late in the season did he become a threat on kickoff returns. I still have hope for his development but let’s not overstate what he contributed.
Yeah these are the traits most teams look for and they end up taking Tyree Wilson over Anderson because they get too caught up in the traights. You always need wiggle room.