Letter of Introduction

Hello!                                                             BearWave

There’s obviously quite a bit to get to following Sunday’s roller-coaster ride of an overtime loss. But as this is my first ever official Bleacher Nation post, I thought it would make sense to give you a quick introduction to myself as well as a brief look at what I hope to bring to the site.

So, let’s get this out of the way: I’m not Brett.

Which is too bad, in a lot of ways; I’ve gotten to know him a bit, and he has been great. It’s hard to convey exactly how honored I am to be writing under the BN banner. It is both a joy and a privilege, and it’s certainly something I take quite seriously. This is one of my favorite places on the Internet, for a multitude of reasons. If my presence on this side of the site can improve upon Bleacher Nation as a whole, I will be thrilled. The community is wonderful, and it’s surreal to think that I’m now a fairly integral part of something I had previously loved from afar. It’s as close as I’ll ever come to being offered a supporting role on Justified, or being asked to perform with The National.

I’m still not sure it’s really happening.

Having said all of those lovely things, there will be some noticeable differences on this part of the site.

First, and necessarily foremost, I’ll be writing about the Chicago Bears.  I love the Bears. Not in a “blindly passionate, to the point that it overrides my ability to objectively critique and analyze the team” sort of way, of course. But I absolutely love them in the “heart in my throat as Robbie Gould lines up for a game-winning field goal” sort of way.  Any close game leaves me coming down from an emotional high that is probably representative of some sort of deeply unhealthy addiction. I love watching football, reading about football, talking about football, even playing football. (I can throw the deep ball, although my neck is as creaky as Peyton Manning’s. I’m not sure how that happened, although like Peyton I also have a gigantic head. Perhaps that’s a factor.)

Other key differences: football has 16 games to baseball’s 162. Try to imagine Bud Selig announcing that the 2014 MLB season will be cut to 16 games. Can you imagine how hyped Brett would be? As a sports fan, I very much try to remain patient and reasonable. But the emphasis on any singular regular season game in the NFL is, and should be, much greater. Any game really can swing a season. That mindset lends itself to a slightly different sort of coverage; Brett can write a ho-hum Enhanced Box Score for a game in May, in which the outcome really doesn’t matter.

That won’t work for the Bears. As a result, you’ll see me on Twitter much more during and after games, attempting to treat them as the very important events that they are, since those 16 Sundays are so disproportionately vital for NFL fans. And you’ll see analysis for single games that would be a gross overreaction in just about any other sport, and certainly for baseball. (That’s not to say you can’t overreact; in fact, I think there’s more than enough overreaction to go around. My goal (and job, really) is to find the right balance.) (As you may have realized, I love parenthetical statements as much as Brett does, so I guess if that’s been the key to the success of Bleacher Nation all along, I’m very much on the right track.)

Another difference: Brett has been doing this for a long time, and he’s one of the best. So, while I’d like to think that I’m a prodigy, I really have no illusions of the sort. He makes it look very easy, and if there are some growing pains on my end, I hope you folks will give me a chance to work through mistakes, learn from them, and evolve.

The final difference I’ll mention: I have a day job. Posts will still go up throughout the day during the week, but my availability to discuss/cover breaking news with the immediacy Brett has brought to the table will be limited, at least to start with. To combat this, I’ll be making a good faith effort to be available in the comments and on Twitter when I’m not at regular work. (My fiancée is already tired of that particular aspect, I think, but I have a feeling that it will be my favorite part of the gig.)

So, that’s my rough outline for melding football coverage with the established greatness of Bleacher Nation. A brief introduction to me personally: I’m 26, engaged to wonderful woman, getting married next fall (to the aforementioned wonderful woman, in case that wasn’t clear), and I love the following things in no particular order: Five Guys, Mike & Ike’s, Coke Zero, my dog, Justified/Mad Men/Sherlock/Top Gear/Jeopardy!, The National/Punch Brothers/Bon Iver, any movie by Wes Anderson, golfing, and reading just about any good piece of writing. I’ve also written a few short stories, and I’ve been published over at The Heckler multiple times. That’s about all the biographical info I want to throw at you; it could turn into an OKCupid profile very quickly if I’m not careful. But if you have any questions for me or about me, you should feel free to leave them in the comments below, and I’ll answer them to the best of my ability.

Welcome to the next phase of Bleacher Nation.

I hope you’re as excited as I am.

written by

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

more bears news

Welcome to the Caleb Williams Era of Chicago Bears Football

In a few hours, the Chicago Bears will have a new franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams. He'll be the best quarterback prospect they've ever welcomed into Halas Hall. There are many reasons why I believe that drafting Williams is a no-brainer,...

Oh? The Rams Reportedly Want to Trade into the Top 10 of the 2024 NFL Draft

If you're looking for chaos on NFL Draft day, you just might get it. And leave it to the script-writers to get a team out in Hollywood involved. Here is a scoop from The Athletic's Dianna Russini, who hears the...

We Could See 6 Quarterbacks Go in Round 1 of the NFL Draft

NFL Draft followers seem to have settled on four quarterbacks going somewhere in the top 10 picks. Many appear to think that we could get a draft with quarterbacks going 1, 2, 3, 4 in succession at the top. Others...

Chicago Bears 2024 NFL Draft Fits: Running Backs and Linebackers

The 2024 NFL Draft begins TODAY. Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles, Assistant GM Ian Cunningham, Head Coach Matt Eberflus, and others will put their heads together to come up with a winning plan for the team’s four picks (Nos....

Chicago Bears 2024 NFL Draft Fits: Cornerbacks and Safeties

The 2024 NFL Draft begins TODAY. Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles, Assistant GM Ian Cunningham, Head Coach Matt Eberflus, and others will put their heads together to come up with a winning plan for the team’s four picks (Nos....

Final Bears Draft Predictions & Dream Scenarios For The 1st Round

We've been talking about this day since the Bears' 0-4 start to last season, and it's finally here. It's NFL Draft day. We know it'll be Caleb Williams at first overall, but what direction will the Bears go with the...

Rome Odunze and Caleb Williams Have Discussed What It Would Be Like to be Bears Teammates

If the Chicago Bears end up drafting Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, I imagine this tweet from Tom Pelissero is going to get a ton of engagement: https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1782905425689522654 In fairness, it already has gotten all sorts of clicks. But that...

Final 2024 NFL Mock Draft: How Will The 1st Round Unfold In Detroit?

Draft Day is finally here! We've taken quite a few cracks at what the first round could look like, and this will be the last one before the NFL Draft kicks off tonight! It still feels like a really unpredictable...

Chicago Bears 2024 NFL Draft Fits: Defensive Linemen

The 2024 NFL Draft begins Thursday. Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles, Assistant GM Ian Cunningham, Head Coach Matt Eberflus, and others will put their heads together to come up with a winning plan for the team’s four picks (Nos....

Caleb Williams Shares Who He’d Take With the No. 9 Pick

The Chicago Bears drafting Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is a foregone conclusion. However, what happens with the Bears' other first-round pick is anything but a lock. One name we haven't discussed much as...

Latest News

LeBron James Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Nuggets – NBA Playoffs Game 3, Thursday, April 25, 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers meet the Denver Nuggets at 10:00 PM ET on Thursday, in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and one of the 3-pointer over/unders available for this clash requires two trifectas from LeBron...

D’Angelo Russell Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Nuggets – NBA Playoffs Game 3, Thursday, April 25, 2024

D'Angelo Russell must make four 3-pointers to beat his prop when the Los Angeles Lakers play the Denver Nuggets on Thursday at 10:00 PM ET, in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs.D'Angelo Russell's Three-Pointer Prop Odds...

Michael Porter Jr. Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Lakers – NBA Playoffs Game 3, Thursday, April 25, 2024

To beat his 3-point over/under, Michael Porter Jr. must make three from downtown on Thursday, when his Denver Nuggets face the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, tipping off at 10:00 PM...

Jamal Murray Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Lakers – NBA Playoffs Game 3, Thursday, April 25, 2024

On Thursday at 10:00 PM ET, the Denver Nuggets face the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and Jamal Murray's 3-pointer prop for this clash requires three treys.Jamal Murray's Three-Pointer Prop Odds...

Nikola Jokic Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Lakers – NBA Playoffs Game 3, Thursday, April 25, 2024

Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets meet the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday at 10:00 PM ET in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and to beat his 3-point over/under, he needs to make two from downtown.Nikola Jokic's...

Anthony Davis Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Nuggets – NBA Playoffs Game 3, Thursday, April 25, 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers play the Denver Nuggets at 10:00 PM ET on Thursday, in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and one of the 3-pointer props available for this clash requires just one trey from...

Chicago Cubs Sign Old Friend Dan Straily

I knew Dan Straily was pitching in Korea, and I knew there was a time in relatively recent memory that he was trying to come back to MLB. But sometime between then and now, he fell off my radar as...

Oh? The Rams Reportedly Want to Trade into the Top 10 of the 2024 NFL Draft

If you're looking for chaos on NFL Draft day, you just might get it. And leave it to the script-writers to get a team out in Hollywood involved. Here is a scoop from The Athletic's Dianna Russini, who hears the...

Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals Series April 26-28: Odds, Starting Pitchers & Predictions

A three-game series featuring the Detroit Tigers and the visiting Kansas City Royals will start on Friday, April 26 at 1:10 PM ET.Tigers vs. Royals Series Info Royals @ Tigers Time: Friday, April 26 at 1:10 PM ET Tigers Starting...

We Could See 6 Quarterbacks Go in Round 1 of the NFL Draft

NFL Draft followers seem to have settled on four quarterbacks going somewhere in the top 10 picks. Many appear to think that we could get a draft with quarterbacks going 1, 2, 3, 4 in succession at the top. Others...

more bears news