NEWSLETTER
I’m looking forward to having a day-long internal debate about dinner. My choices are ordering pizza and vegging out on the couch OR taking something out of the freezer and cooking for myself. Both are fine options for the NFL’s lid-lifter.
• Professional football returns tonight. We did it. Let’s celebrate (responsibly)! It’s Mahomes-Watson III in a battle of quarterbacks the Bears traded up to not take in the 2017 NFL Draft. HEY! Don’t give me that look. I’m just preparing you now for what you’re going to get in a broadcast this evening. You can thank me later.
• Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) brings some cautious optimism to start the day. I don’t imagine playing football during a global pandemic in a world where athletes are using their platform to fight racial injustice is going to be easy. But the NFL is set to give it a good try. May the Force be with them (and us) in these times.
• Danny Trevathan is bringing the hype and ushering in the 2020 season:
• I’d run through a brick wall for Trevathan. And that’s just a feeling from watching a video clip. So I can only imagine what the guys who line up next to him would do at his behest. Go get ’em, gang!
• Chicago unveiled its uniform schedule for 2020:
• Orange you glad the Bears wear their orange outfits just twice in 2020? They’ll be in play in a pair of primetime games — Week 4 against the Bucs (Thursday Night Football) and Week 10 versus the Vikings (Monday Night Football). Last year’s 1936-themed throwbacks make an appearance in Week 14 at home against the Texans.
• The 2020 season will be unlike anything we’ve previously experienced. One of the things coming in these unprecedented times is fake crowd noise and virtual fans. At this time, FOX is set to be the only broadcast using virtual fans. They’ll dip their toes in the water by trying it out for one game. And, of course, that game is Bears-Lions in Week 1. Look … I don’t mind the Lions being test dummies. But don’t make Bears fans suffer because the Lions are good for nothing besides being guinea pigs in a television experiment. Andrew Bucholtz (Awful Announcing) has more on FOX’s foray into fake football.
• I booed my TV soooo hard when this happened live and am prepared to do it again on Sunday:
Here's a look at the virtual fans at Wrigley Field for the Cubs-Brewers game on Fox. pic.twitter.com/rmA5lENFRH
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 25, 2020
• I’m in the mood for optimism:
We will Zoom with Bears RB David Montgomery today. Could be a healthy sign.
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) September 10, 2020
• This really says a lot of things:
If Mitch Trubisky manages to throw for 3014 yards this year, he will move into 3rd all-time for Chicago #Bears career passing yards.
— Bill Zimmerman (@ZimmermanSXM) September 9, 2020
• EEP:
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) September 9, 2020
• This is art:
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1303783528585261056?s=20
Home is where the heart is.
Welcome back, @NFL. #Kickoff2020 pic.twitter.com/wvhkOIbPVa
— Sunday Night Football (@SNFonNBC) September 10, 2020
