Do you all still want Ryan Poles?

[VikingsFan84]

I remember the whining and crying when Bears hired Poles before Vikings did and Vikings hired Kwesi and everyone said Kwesi is not going to be good and is terrible at drafting, etc etc

Well, it is time to give Kwesi credit for the hiring of O’Connell, Vikings 6-1 record, his drafting and his trades

Well done, Kwesi!

So do you all want still Ryan Poles?

[Pondering Her Percy]

I'll be the first to admit I wanted Poles over Mensah. However, they are also taking two different approaches. Poles looks "bad" because the Bears are bad and he's tearing down the roster. That's what he inherited and that's what the Bears need to do. The Vikings didnt need to do that nor did it make any sense given the talent on our roster. I will 100% give Kwesi credit. The hiring of KOC, the management of the cap and the roster, having the balls to trade within the division, etc. Jury is still out on his drafting ability but overall, you couldnt ask for much better right now. But I also wouldnt say Poles is a "bad" GM right now. Ultimately, that will be determined in a few years based on how he builds this roster.

[CharVike]

It's a little early to give either a grade. Poles will sink or swim with Fields.
Through four games of the 2022 campaign, Justin Fields ranks last in a host of quarterback stats.
The Chicago Bears quarterback is 32nd among 32 qualified quarterbacks with 16.8 attempts per game, a 50.7 completion percentage, 117.8 passing yards per game, a 6.0 interception percentage and a 58.7 passer rating -- no other qualified QB has a sub-70 passer rating in 2022. Kevin Patra Around the NFL Writer
Based on the above Poles isn't swimming yet and should be looking for his own guy in this draft. The QB circle jerk.
Poles did draft safety Jaquan Brisker who is starting and playing good for a rookie and a LT Braxton Jones who is a starter and picked in round 6. He's been up and down but LT is a hard position to play. Teams attack that spot.

[vikeinmontana]

Liked the hire at the time. Still like the hire. But FAR too early to say if this is the hire that will get us over the top. Praying it is though.

[Maelstrom88]

I was indifferent at the time. It's early but Mensah's first draft looks underwhelming. His free agent signings and the Hock trade looks great though.

[J. Kapp 11]

Loved the hire at the time. Love it even more now.

Forget the draft for a moment. Let’s talk big picture. They said “competitive rebuild.” That meant “we have the talent to compete this year, so we’re going to draft players we can develop for down the road and acquire players who can help us now.” Kwesi has done exactly that. The acquisitions of Z, Hicks and Phillips have worked out better than any of us expected. Even Chandon Sullivan has played better lately. The draft hasn’t produced every-down impact players, but I contend it was never meant to, outside of Cine and Booth. Guys like Brian Asamoah were drafted to be developed for next season and beyond.

But the best part IMO is that Kwesi backed up the “competitive” part of the rebuild by trading for T.J. Hockenson. He saw that the team was competitive, and instead of sitting on his hands, he pushed his chips to the center of the table. He went out and improved the team by trading for a really good player at a position of need. Irv Smith was never going to be what Hock can be. Smith is small, 6-2 and about 230, more of an H-back than a tight end. Hockenson has the size at 6-5, 250, and the blocking ability to be a true tight end. And while’s not as straight-line fast as Irv, he’s a YAC monster, and he has great hands. Kwesi went out and backed up his competitive rebuild idea, and he did it while giving up a minimum of net draft capital.

Of course, his best move was to hire Kevin O’Connell.

Thus far, Kwesi gets a solid A- from me. Why not an A? We all can improve.