NEWSLETTER
The Bulls were eliminated from postseason play last night and I have mixed feelings. We didn’t get to see this collection of talent reach its potential for myriad reasons. There was never a point when I felt as if this group was getting into a groove. And because of that, I feel unfulfilled as a fan. At least the Bulls have two players (Zach LaVine, Nikola Vučević) I like enough to build around. In short, Chicago’s basketball team has some work to do this offseason.
• I won’t even waste time with a drawn-out intro. The Justin Fields era is here:
🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶 pic.twitter.com/PFnjUALp9F
— Da TailGate Show ™️ (@DaTailGateShow) May 15, 2021
#PhotoEditorGeorge pic.twitter.com/bf1YxsqBNv
— george (@thegeorgetwo) May 15, 2021
• And he’s brought some friends along:
🚧 𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 🚧 pic.twitter.com/YfVxATF2bt
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 14, 2021
𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐄. 𝐒𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐃. 𝐆𝐎𝐀𝐋𝐒. 🐻⬇️. pic.twitter.com/f0lntPfbP6
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 14, 2021
Day 1 in 🔵 & 🟠. How we feelin', guys?@JuiceHerbert@justnfields@_TG4__ pic.twitter.com/otzXXyyleK
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 14, 2021
Gone campin'. 🏕️ pic.twitter.com/pCHWaNYvi1
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 14, 2021
• Vibe check:
https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1393366296797106177
• There is an undeniable buzz after one day of Bears rookie minicamp. And Fields’ arrival is at the root of it. The Bears had obvious needs at quarterback, and Fields fills that for the team. But beyond that, I think fans needed Fields to come on board as much as the team did. The positive vibes are inescapable. Having a new face to follow is legitimately refreshing. Talking about the Bears among friends is easier now than it was a month ago. It’s the Fields factor, baby.
• A collection of refreshing tweets from eyes on the scene:
Bears HC Matt Nagy says Justin Fields is very serious. "He's all about business right now. He's a competitor."
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) May 14, 2021
#Bears HC Nagy on Justin Fields: "His mechanics were really good. I thought he looked super calm. The ball did not touch the ground very much." @WBBMNewsradio
— Jeff Joniak (@JeffJoniak) May 14, 2021
Hard to call Justin Fields’ first practice anything other than a success. He was accurate (I only saw one pass I would call poor) and showed absolutely zero issues taking snaps from center. Like a Pro Day, it looked like it should — very good. #Bears
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) May 14, 2021
One word to describe #Bears QB Justin Fields after one day of rookie minicamp: Accurate.
— Bear Report (@BearReport) May 15, 2021
Matt Nagy noticed on a play today that Justin Fields corrected a fellow rookie about route. It was a moment that stood out from his first practice.
Said Nagy: “He’s got a really great professional personality, which I love. He’s all about business right now.”
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) May 14, 2021
• It felt good for the soul to read about a Bears quarterback taking initiative early in camp.
• Jon Greenberg of The Athletic details the differences between this rookie QB’s arrival and the one before him. There’s a trip down memory lane highlighting an eyes-on report from Dan Pompei from Mitchell Trubisky’s first camp. In fact, you might want to read that for the sake of perspective.
• Undoubtably, there will be comparisons between Trubisky and Fields. There will even be some who will say something along the lines of: “Well, people were excited about Trubisky, too.” Or “There were people hyped about the last Ohio State quarterback.” And to that, I echo the sentiments of faux Dark Side user Kylo Ren and say: “Let the past die. Kill it if you must.” Trubisky wasn’t the caliber of prospect Fields is from a quarterbacking standpoint. Fields’ athleticism rates higher, too. The only similarity between the two is that they both are quarterbacks.
• I guess other rookie QBs in the NFC North are doing things, too:
Here’s Kellen Mond pic.twitter.com/GPt9rlZk0I
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) May 14, 2021
• He’s ready:
Matt LaFleur on Blake Bortles: “Shoot, he led his team to the AFC Championship. They almost knocked off the Patriots.” pic.twitter.com/roSa3WFhg5
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) May 14, 2021
• Tents, toys, gardening products, and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon. #ad
• Big Boy Summer is here:
The belly is breathing. 😅
💪 @QMeinerz 💪 pic.twitter.com/WNLIMGA7Fc
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 14, 2021
• This is brutal:
Broncos have cut OT Ja’Waun James, who recently tore his Achilles, per @FieldYates.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 14, 2021
• Cuts happen in the NFL. It’s a part of the circle of a football life. But getting cut while training for football is cold-blooded. I understand that the NFL has rules about injuries occurring outside of the team facility. But it’s not as if Ja’Waun James was being reckless in a non-football activity. He suffered an injury while training for football. This all feels dirty and I hope James lands on his feet somewhere.
• The tl;dr version of this is that it’s time to get the shot:
New guidance from the NFL for fully vaccinated players and masks: pic.twitter.com/hucm05CRTy
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 14, 2021
