I’ve been out of the loop since last night due to my very own series of unfortunate events, that started with leaving my wallet at my office and not realizing it until late last night. (I’m not smart.) That put me behind on my weekend, which today featured a visit to the mall with the fiancée (as crowded and chaotic as could be expected for a December Saturday) followed by a visit to Home Depot (lights) and Whole Foods (small Christmas tree/stand). This was all mitigated by a trip to Five Guys, so I can’t complain too much.
Your (apologetically) late roundup:
I first saw this on Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner blog, but it’s originally from Mandatory.com, and in case you haven’t noticed, they show us bald quarterbacks. Ten of them, in fact, and all hilarious. Bald Cutler is solid, but I’d argue he’s actually one of the more normal looking choices. As for my favorites, I’m partial to Stafford, Peyton, and Big Ben, but there are no wrong answers. (My least favorite bald quarterback? Terry Bradshaw doing halftime highlights.)
The Texans lost to the Jaguars (and their awful two-tone helmets) on Thursday night, and by Friday rumors were already swirling that Kubiak would be fired. They proved true, as Texans owner Bob McNair announced in a press conference on Friday that Kubiak would no longer coach the team. Kubiak had been one of the longest-tenured NFL coaches, having debuted in 2006, and he finishes with a career record of 61-64. Kubiak was at the center of one of the stranger (and scarier) incidents this season, when he collapsed on the field after suffering a mini-stroke. Obviously it’s unfortunate that he lost his job after the health scare, but I guess business is business.
Relating this to the Bears, McNair actually mentioned Lovie Smith as someone the Texans would be considering for the opening. I never felt Lovie was incompetent, and he certainly seemed like a good guy (not that I ever met him, but this Andrew Lawrence profile for MMQB reinforced my opinion) and a fairly talented roster in Houston (Smith is a Texas native) might be the perfect fit for him.
Even though Jay Cutler won’t play this weekend, the Bears still have hope he could return this season. The news that Cutler was held out of Saturday’s practice may have worried some folks, but apparently it was strictly a rest issue. As Marc Trestman noted, Cutler practiced both Thursday and Friday without residual soreness, which bodes well for his chances of starting next weekend at Cleveland. In fact, CSN Chicago’s John Mullin goes as far as to say that the Bears are hopeful that he’ll be ready.
From the same Mullin piece, Major Wright is back at practice and will start at strong safety against the Cowboys. Fill-in Craig Steltz will return to full-time special teams duties. In a comical aside, Mullin notes that Major Wright is third among safeties in Pro Bowl fan-voting. They have chosen…poorly.
Going back to the Cutler injury, CBS Chicago’s Adam Hoge wrote an interesting piece that brings up a point I’d speculated on previously: did the Bears leave Cutler in too long against Detroit, to the point that he exacerbated his ankle injury? According to Hoge, the team’s doctors and trainers told Trestman at halftime that he couldn’t worsen the injury by playing on it, but Hoge notes (and I agree with him) that it seems very plausible that he did make it worse, considering his high-ankle sprain has lingered for much longer than they originally expected it would. There’s no blame to be assigned, it’s just an unfortunate situation.
I’ll be back tomorrow morning with an NFL Sunday preview; the Bears are obviously off until Monday night, but there are a few enticing match-ups, including the Detroit-Philadelphia game that is crucial for the Bears playoff hopes.
Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here.
Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.
There was no escaping the mixed emotions from Chicago Bears fans when the Justin Fields trade went down earlier this month. But there were none of that from Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell. Heck, I'd argue there was just...
Another day. Another pass rusher signing. And another defensive lineman going to a team that isn't the Chicago Bears. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport was the first with the news of Jadeveon Clowney signing with the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, ESPN's...
Today was LSU's Pro Day and Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles was scheduled to be in attendance, per The Athletic's Adam Jahns. Assuming Poles made his flight, he got a good look at the likes of quarterback Jayden Daniels, as...
I keep forgetting that I have a Starbucks gift card from Christmas that has gone unused to this point. Maybe I'll remember it next time I go out for coffee. A big shout out to PFF Brad, who made the...
When I saw them pop up, RGIII's comments suggesting Caleb Williams pull an Eli Manning and refuse to play for the Chicago Bears were met with an eye-roll, audible groan, and immediate dismissal before moving onto more pertinent topics. But...
It sure is starting to sound like Arlington Heights fumbled the bag when it comes to locking in Arlington Park as the future home of a Chicago Bears stadium. While meeting with the media at the NFL owners meetings in...
Christmastime is generally full of cheer. And in 2024, it will be full of cheering. In fact, we're talking double the cheer. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reports the league will play not one, but *TWO* Christmas Day games. It's...
Hard to believe we're less than a month away from the 1st Round of the 2024 NFL Draft! With just weeks remaining until the NFL's most noteworthy offseason event, there are plenty of rumors floating. As we work through all...
The Bachelor's season-finale had a couple of jaw-dropping moments. Once the group chat catches up, it is going to be lit. What better way to start Bears Bullets than with breakfast anecdotes? I think I'm going to enjoy D'Andre Swift's...
NFL owners ratified a sweeping overhaul of the kickoff play on Tuesday, embracing a format inspired by the XFL following three days of deliberations at the league’s yearly gathering. Essentially, the new format relocates the bulk of both kicking and return teams...
The Baltimore Orioles (0-0) open their 2024 season with a home game against the Los Angeles Angels (0-0) on Thursday, with first pitch at 3:05 PM ET.The Orioles will call on Corbin Burnes versus the Angels and Patrick Sandoval.Orioles vs....
The Atlanta Hawks (33-39) are big, 17.5-point underdogs as they attempt to build on a three-game winning streak when they host the Boston Celtics (57-15) on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at State Farm Arena. The matchup airs at 7:30 PM...
The Atlanta Hawks (33-39) are big, 17.5-point underdogs as they attempt to build on a three-game winning streak when they host the Boston Celtics (57-15) on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at State Farm Arena. The contest airs at 7:30 PM...
The New Orleans Pelicans (44-28) are only 2-point underdogs against the Milwaukee Bucks (46-26) at Smoothie King Center on Thursday, March 28, 2024. The game begins at 8:00 PM ET on NBA. The matchup's point total is 223.If you are...
The Indiana State Sycamores (31-6) will attempt to build on a three-game winning streak when they host the Utah Utes (22-14) on April 2, 2024. The Utes have also won three games in a row.Indiana State won its most recent...
The Seton Hall Pirates (23-12) will attempt to extend a three-game win streak when they host the Georgia Bulldogs (20-16) on April 2, 2024. The Bulldogs have also won three games in a row.In its previous game, Seton Hall beat...
The Arizona Diamondbacks, led by Corbin Carroll, take on Nolan Jones and the Colorado Rockies in their first game of the season, at 10:10 PM ET on Thursday.Keep reading to find out all the details on how to watch Arizona...
Luis Castillo will take the ball for the Seattle Mariners when they square off against starting pitcher Brayan Bello and the Boston Red Sox in their season opener on Thursday, with first pitch at 10:10 PM ET.The article below will...
The Cleveland Guardians, led by Jose Ramirez, square off against Brent Rooker and the Oakland Athletics in their first game of the season, at 10:07 PM ET on Thursday.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and...
The sportsbooks pick the Ottawa Senators to beat the Chicago Blackhawks in their matchup on Thursday, March 28, with the Senators given moneyline odds of -198 on home ice, and the Blackhawks at +164.Senators vs. Blackhawks Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Senators...