Silvy: The stage is yours, Ryan Poles. The NFL offseason is about to heat up

And down the stretch they come!

It’s Caleb Williams followed by Justin Fields and a trade down in a tight race.

Drake Maye trails by two lengths. Jayden Daniels a distant fourth. And JJ McCarthy with Kirk Cousins bringing up the rear.

As Bears fans, we’ve been at this for a while. Speculating about the future with the quarterback position. And we’ve been searching since Sid.

Finally, we’re about to get some clarity.

Things will finally get rolling with the combine here, the new league year and free agency arriving March 13, and the NFL draft April 25.

And what has to happen, is the Bears need to get this right.

While I’ve made it known that I think the correct decision is to trade Fields and draft Williams, I’m just a Bears fan with a radio show and now a column. I’m smart enough to know what I don’t know.

Ryan Poles’ job is to know.

[ NFL combine: What Bears GM Ryan Poles is thinking about Justin Fields, No. 1 overall pick ]

I’ve been watching the New England Patriots documentary called “The Dynasty” on Apple TV. It’s fantastic, and I highly recommend it. It’s got a “Last Dance” vibe with many more dramatic layers.

The first two episodes address the Patriots’ decision of choosing between the unproven Tom Brady and franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe once Bledsoe was healthy enough to play in the 2001 season. Pats owner Robert Kraft wasn’t happy with the decision of going with Brady. VP of player personnel Scott Pioli said, “We had to get that decision right or we were getting fired.”

Now, Poles just has to get it right.

Think about Bill Belichick at the time. Good defensive coordinator. Fired as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

In 2000, the Patriots were 5-11. When Bledsoe went down in 2001, they were 0-2. Belichick was not considered a great head coach.

Then he made the correct call on the quarterback, and now he’s considered one of the greatest coaches in sports history.

Just get it right, and everything can change.

It’s easy to consider Andy Reid the best coach in the NFL and one of the sport’s great coaches of all time. It took him 21 years to win a championship.

What changed? The quarterback.

Reid was a very good coach with Donovan McNabb and Alex Smith.

But he didn’t become a championship coach and all-time great until he got it right when he decided that the Chiefs should trade up from the 27th overall pick in 2017 to the 10th pick and select Patrick Mahomes.

Poles had a front-row seat in the Chiefs’ building when Mahomes was drafted.

And who hired Poles in Kansas City? None other than the same Scott Pioli, who helped Belichick draft and make the Brady decision.

Now Poles can forever change the course of history for the Bears.

He already has done a fine job executing his rebuilding plan.

Fine doesn’t win championships, though. Getting the quarterback right could.

Here’s my promise to you.

I won’t act like a Jets fan the day after the draft, booing any decision that goes against conventional wisdom.

Whether Poles stays with Fields and trades the No. 1 pick. Or trades Fields and drafts Williams. Or trades Fields, trades the first pick to the Commanders, and takes Maye with the second pick. Or trades Fields, trades the first pick to Atlanta for a haul, and drafts JJ McCarthy.

I will give it time to see if Poles got it right.

We all know Mahomes went after Mitch Trubisky. Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold were drafted ahead of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. Zach Wilson was taken before Fields for crying out loud.

[ 4 burning questions facing Chicago Bears ahead of NFL Scouting Combine ]

Mocks be damned.

Because those football gods have been making us cry for decades.

If Poles gets this right, he gets upgraded to all-time Chicago decision-maker status.

And he doesn’t sound like a guy that is letting the pressure get to him.

At the Chris Chelios jersey retirement game Sunday, Poles overheard a bunch of Bears fans debating what the team should do with the No. 1 overall pick. So he joined their conversation.

Lean into the chaos, Ryan. And just get it right.

It’s only one of the biggest decisions in Bears history.

• Marc Silverman shares his opinions on the Bears weekly for Shaw Local. Tune in and listen to the “Waddle & Silvy” show weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. on ESPN 1000.