Tucker Confirms Defensive Changes and Other Bullets

May 19, 2014

Hopefully everyone had a great weekend! The Bears rookie minicamp finished up, and sadly, my pet prospect (Indiana safety Greg Heban) didn’t make the grade for the Bears. (Not that I think that’s a bad decision; I’m certainly not qualified. I just liked watching him play in college.) According to Brad Biggs, the Bears did sign at least two players out of minicamp: North Texas safety Marcus Trice and Louisville running back Senorise Perry. Both players will head to camp with the Bears, and given the relative strength of their respective positional groups, I think Trice has to fancy his chances of cracking the roster more than Perry.

Among Perry’s competition, former NIU quarterback Jordan Lynch is certainly the highest-profile candidate. As Adam Hoge writes for CBS Chicago, the key to Lynch making the roster and being a potentially useful offensive player will be his ability to contribute on special teams. As a Heisman Trophy-finalist college quarterback, Lynch obviously wasn’t asked to do a lot of blocking or tackling, so he’s a bit behind the curve.

ESPN Chicago’s Michael C. Wright has a nice rundown of the potential changes in store for the Bears defensive scheme. Mel Tucker sounds as though he wants to make a lot of changes, and after last year’s performance, I’d think that’s a good approach. From the piece, I received the impression that while the changes wouldn’t be sweeping, they will be felt at all levels of the defense. Tucker notes that the high level of defensive personnel turnover (both coaches and players) helps to facilitate this sort of change. This is Mel Tucker’s defense now; he’s no longer beholden to Lovie Smith’s scheme, and he’ll benefit from a wealth of new defensive talent. I’m very interested to see how the Bears look defensively under Tucker; due to injuries (and the Bears effort to maintain defensive continuity from Lovie’s system) I’m still not really sure I know what a Mel Tucker defense looks like.

Marc Trestman plans on giving Jordan Palmer the first crack at the backup quarterback position, as noted by Adam Jahns. I think Palmer has a leg up at this point, given that the Bears certainly view themselves as a contending team; his veteran status probably provides a more reassuring presence. That said, Palmer has thrown all of 15 passes in the NFL, so it’s not as though he’s a seasoned, tested player. Considering the Bears spent a sixth-round choice on David Fales, Palmer probably shouldn’t be too comfortable.

Patrick Finley wrote a quick piece for the Sun-Times on the relationship between second-round choice Ego Ferguson and undrafted free agent signing Christian Jones.

The Bears released punter Drew Butler, according to ESPN Chicago’s Michael C. Wright. Butler was signed to a reserve/futures contract this offseason, but his chances of making the team were drastically diminished when Chicago selected Pat O’Donnell in the sixth round of the draft.

Speaking of O’Donnell, Jeff Dickerson wrote that he’s got some advice from the veteran specialists while at minicamp this weekend. Dickerson also reports that O’Donnell repeatedly hit the roof of the Bears indoor practice facility. Personally, I’m hoping he hits the Dallas scoreboard at some point. Remember when everyone assumed that would happen repeatedly, and it was treated as some sort of “Thing To Worry About”? Has it even happened in a game?

Finally, the National Football Post’s Joe Fortenbaugh has the Las Vegas Hotel Sportsbook NFL over/under lines for the upcoming season. The Bears sit at 8, which strikes me as low; I’d probably put it at 9. (Note: I’m not a professional gambler.) Looking at the other divisional teams, the Packers are at 10, the Lions match the Bears with 8, and the Vikings sit at 6. Play at your own risk.

written by

Brett Taylor

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.

more bears news

Chicago Bears

WATCH: Caleb Williams is Already Making Connections with DJ Moore and Keenan Allen at Halas Hall

Caleb Williams clips, however brief, will always grab my attention. Because while I can tell myself over and over again that I will not get googly eyes over spring practice videos, the reality is that I can't wait to see...

Luis C. Medina

May 14, 2024

Chicago Bears

Kiran Amegadjie Reportedly Signed His Rookie Deal (UPDATE: It’s Officially Official)

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie is reportedly signing his rookie deal. NFL reporter Aaron Wilson has details on the contract, which includes: A $1.121 million signing bonus Annual workout bonus of $50,000 per year from 2025-27 Total deal worth...

Luis C. Medina

May 14, 2024

Chicago Bears

This Is What the Chicago Bears 2024 Strength of Schedule Looks Like

Let's get this out of the way from the top. Looking at an NFL team's strength of schedule for the upcoming season based on the previous year's opponent winning percentage means almost nothing. So much change (roster moves, philosophy shifts,...

Luis C. Medina

May 14, 2024

Chicago Bears

Around the NFL: Schedule Release Teasers, Amazon’s Upcoming NFL Documentaries, More

The NFL's schedule release is just over 24 hours away, but we're already getting some juicy teasers this week. Here's a roundup and some upcoming NFL-related productions coming to Amazon in today's NFL Notes. Chiefs Will Host the Ravens in...

Patrick K. Flowers

May 14, 2024

Chicago Bears

NFL Schedule Notes, When Should Bears Debut? Goff, Winfield, Parks, and Other Bears Bullets

Coming home to a wonky wifi wasn't on my to-do list. But at least I'm home in one piece. Anyway, apologies if this set of BN Bears Bullets is brief because I can't spend all day on mobile hotspot. The...

Luis C. Medina

May 14, 2024

Chicago Bears

Bears Rookie Minicamp Takeaways: Caleb Williams and the Best of the Rest

I've said it, and I'll continue to say it: this chapter of Chicago Bears football feels different. Perhaps it's because the last time we did this, we were in a pandemic, and when the Bears jumped up to No. 11...

Patrick K. Flowers

May 13, 2024

Chicago Bears

Jared Goff Becomes the Highest-Paid Lion Ever!

The Detroit Lions have been busy in recent weeks securing their core after a run to the NFC title game last season. Jared Goff became the latest player to get a new deal in Detroit, and he became the highest-paid...

Patrick K. Flowers

May 13, 2024

Chicago Bears

Antoine Winfield Jr Signs Record-Breaking Extension

The Buccaneers have made Antoine Winfield Jr the highest-paid defensive back in the history of the NFL. On Monday afternoon, Winfield Jr and Tampa Bay agreed to a four-year, $84.1 million deal. It also guarantees the Bucs' star $45 million....

Matt Rooney

May 13, 2024

Chicago Bears

Bears Sign 6 Players After Rookie Minicamp Weekend Tryouts

The Chicago Bears offseason roster churn continues. In addition to their five-player draft class headlined by Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze (plus nine more players who were signed as undrafted free agents), the Bears have signed six free agents who...

Luis C. Medina

May 13, 2024

Chicago Bears

They’re No. 1: Bears Wide Receivers Room Ranks as NFL’s Best

One of my biggest frustrations with the Ryan Pace regime was how the former Chicago Bears general manager didn't invest in wide receiver upgrades the way you'd expect a team building around a young quarterback should. Meanwhile, his replacement, Ryan...

Luis C. Medina

May 13, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Enhanced Box Score: Braves 7, Cubs 0 – May 14, 2024

Not every game is a referendum on a team. Actually, come to think of it, a single game is NEVER a referendum on a team. Anyway, point is, a whole lot of teams are going to get stomped by these...

Brett Taylor

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Pablo Aliendo Goes Way Deep, Alexander Canario Goes Way Grand

Pablo Aliendo gave the Tennessee Smokies an early lead on Tuesday night. Matching up with the Rocket City Trash Pandas, Aliendo sent a ball deep into left field during the 2nd inning. The homer gave the Smokies an early 1-0...

Elias Schuster

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Nico Hoerner Was Scratched Just Before Tonight’s Game Started

You know that expression, when it rains, it pours? This is like that, except instead of raining, it is pouring deluxe turds. Just an absolute monsoon of shit. Another Cubs injury issue to another key Cubs player: https://twitter.com/maddie_m_lee/status/1790522697002455532 So, Nico...

Brett Taylor

May 14, 2024

Chicago Bears

WATCH: Caleb Williams is Already Making Connections with DJ Moore and Keenan Allen at Halas Hall

Luis C. Medina

May 14, 2024

MLB

How to Watch Phillies Games: Full 2024 Schedule, Live Stream and More

If you are a Philadelphia Phillies fan and looking to catch their games, you can watch most of them on TV with a cable subscription or via streaming with one of the many different apps. Let’s break down the cable...

Brian Twining

May 14, 2024

Chicago Blackhawks

Connor Bedard Scored Again for Canada

Oh hey! Blackhawks' star Connor Bedard scored his fifth goal of the World Championships for Canada on Tuesday afternoon. https://twitter.com/BN_Blackhawks/status/1790468565675483262 Bedard helped Canada sprint to a 6-1 lead... which evaporated as Austria scored five unanswered goals in the third period...

Tab Bamford

May 14, 2024

MLB

How to Watch Yankees Games: Full 2024 Schedule, Live Stream and More

The Bronx is booming! Yankee Stadium crackles with energy as the New York Yankees chase another World Series title. Whether you're a die-hard Yankees fan bleeding pinstripes or a baseball enthusiast captivated by the American League East race, their remaining...

Brian Twining

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Adbert Alzolay Update: Imaging Results, Timeline, and a Sprinkle of (Unexpected) Optimism

I had the weirdest reaction to what is objectively bad injury news on Adbert Alzolay just now. According to Meghan Montemurro, medical imaging confirmed that Adbert Alzolay has a right flexor strain. While I should have been upset to learn...

Michael Cerami

May 14, 2024

Chicago Bears

Kiran Amegadjie Reportedly Signed His Rookie Deal (UPDATE: It’s Officially Official)

Luis C. Medina

May 14, 2024

News

2024 PGA Championship Prize Purse and Payout Breakdown: How Much Money Does the Winner Make?

The countdown has begun for the highly anticipated PGA Championship. As the second major of the 2024 calendar, this prestigious event will grace the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, from May 16-19. This year marks the 106th edition of the championship,...

Ryan Noonan

May 14, 2024

Tucker Confirms Defensive Changes and Other Bullets

Read More

more bears news

Latest News

more bears news

Most Popular

Most Popular

Latest News

Most Popular

Most Popular