“Nobody Wants to Play in the Pro Bowl” and Other Bullets

Dec 20, 2018

There was a valuable lesson to be learned during my Christmas shopping adventure yesterday, and it’s that you shouldn’t shop on an empty stomach. Believe me, I enjoyed my warm and chewy chocolate chip cookie … but that really shouldn’t count as dinner.

Of course the Bears are happy to be sending five players to the Pro Bowl and seven alternates who could join them at the NFL’s annual all-star game. It’s just that it’s not the game players want to play in. “Nobody wants to play in the Pro Bowl,” said Pro Bowl return specialist Tarik Cohen, via Cam Ellis of NBC Sports Chicago. “You want to go to the Super Bowl.”

LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK, TARIK!

Danny Trevathan let it all hang out on this episode of Mic’d Up:

And once again, a Mitch Trubisky pre-game pep talk caught on Mic’d Up – even if it’s short and sweet – has me wanting to throw on a helmet and some shoulder pads so I can hit something.

Trevathan was the perfect player to have mic’d up for Week 15 and it turns out he was the right guy at the right time for the Bears. Think about where this team was when they signed him. The Bears didn’t have any presence in the middle of their defense and their group of linebackers didn’t provide much resistance against opposing running games. Since Trevathan has stepped in, he has provided the fire and passion that good inside linebackers bring to the table, but more importantly, the production. Finally healthy, Trevathan is on pace for his first 100-tackle season since 2015 (which his last year in Denver) and sounds set to embark on another postseason journey.

On the other side of the field, I find myself thinking about Allen Robinson, because he’s set to get his first taste of playoff football. It’s easy to feel good for Robinson, who on top of working back from what was a season-ending knee injury, is about to receive an opportunity to shine on an even bigger stage. Remember, Robinson was sidelined during the Jaguars’ breakthrough postseason run and the team was 11-37 in his first three seasons. You can bet being part of a playoff-clinching game meant a lot to him.

Along the same wavelength, Kyle Long probably feels good about the possibility of practicing this week. And I feel like rocking some new cleats is a good sign he is inching closer to it:

Kyle Long is not practicing today. But Matt Nagy said "it's a possibility" Long could practice before week's end. Today, the big man came into the locker room carrying new cleats. So …
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) December 19, 2018

The offensive line never gets the love it should, which is why I always appreciate when a quarterback steps up for his guys on the front line when in front of the mic:

Trubisky on the o-line: “I can’t say enough about those guys. They really are the heart and soul of our offense. I wish they would get more recognition than they do because they deserve it."
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 19, 2018

There is a non-zero percent chance that the Bears’ offensive line is performing better because they’re being tested every day by an elite defense:

Over the past decade, only 4 defenses have recorded 35+ takeaways and 45+ sacks in a season:

2018 @ChicagoBears
2013 Chiefs
2010 Steelers
2010 Giants

— Chris Wesseling (@ChrisWesseling) December 20, 2018

I’m not saying they’re good because they practice against a tip-top defense. But I am saying that I believe in the concept that steel sharpens steel and there is so much improvement that can be made when you test yourself at the highest level.

Mitchell Trubisky … welcome to the Beard Gang:

Story behind the Mitch Trubisky beard: The QBs and QB coaches made an agreement not to shave all season. “You are allowed to get line-ups, but you can’t trim,” Trubisky said. “I’ve had a baby face my whole life, and all the sudden I got a beard, so I’m going to rock this thing."
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) December 19, 2018

So much for the Pretty Boy Assassin nickname.

Good teams wins, great teams cover:

The Bears have covered 7 straight first-half spreads and have a league-best +8.5 first-half point differential. The 49ers rank 23rd with a -2.07 first-half point differential.

Chicago is -2.5 in the 1st half in San Francisco on Sunday.

— Joe Osborne (@JTFOz) December 19, 2018

Is there a Lombardi Trophy under this tree? If not, put it on the list:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrlUibtH4N2/

If you get Madden for Christmas, make sure you update the roster because the Bears are a team on the rise:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrnVwMKHSZy/

No one has milked a second-place finish as much as the 49ers have in the wake of finishing behind the Bears in the Khalil Mack sweepstakes:

Even if you're the 49ers and you think you could have gotten Khalil Mack, makes no sense to talk about it later. Other teams probably thought the same. Looks like pathetic attempt to make themselves look smart during tough season. No one will ever truly know.
— Jerry McDonald (@Jerrymcd) December 20, 2018

We get it. Your team tried and it makes sense that this is a tact employed while trying to save face during a down season. But c’mon now, enough is enough.

What in the world did I just witness?

https://twitter.com/lscreeden/status/1075558805629485056

Heartwarming stuff during the holiday season:

'Twas a magical evening with @charleslenojr72, @MrBig434 and Kyle Fuller.

Our guys got festive and hosted #DaBears annual holiday giving initiative at Leo High School.
📸: https://t.co/UPPcK91lAP pic.twitter.com/SKIowSerkp

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 19, 2018

written by

Luis C. Medina

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.

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