NEWSLETTER
Watching the break-in scene in “Home Alone” with children who had never seen it before was an all-time fun moment that can never be duplicated. Unfortunately, I think they’re a few years too young for the “Die Hard” movie experience. Maybe next year?
• One could make the argument Christmas came early for the Bears when GM Ryan Pace was able to successfully trade up and draft Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft. And while Fields’ rookie season has been a rollercoaster, there has been enough to allow us runway to dream big:
I thought @justnfields played really well overall last night:
-less sacks
-play faster in pocketBut I really like just the subtle nuance of this play—doing plays like this consistently—on top of the it play talent—2022!! @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/UN09UkWA19
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) December 21, 2021
someone do something! pic.twitter.com/JcbRWzt8BK
— Derrik Klassen (@QBKlass) December 23, 2021
Justin Fields is going to be so, so good in this league. The arm talent, accuracy, and athleticism is all there and you see him making strides pre- and post-snap every week. Keeps leveling up. I'm so excited for him.
— Derrik Klassen (@QBKlass) December 24, 2021
• A view from the other side:
56. Seahawks Pro Bowl S Quandre Diggs on #Bears QB Justin Fields: "[We] have the same agent, so I've seen him up close and personal. He's going to be really special in the next couple of years. He's showing some of those things on film already and he's getting better and better."
— Mark Potash (@MarkPotash) December 24, 2021
• It’s almost as if the Bears should’ve been implementing more play-action in their offense:
Some fun PFF play-action stats:
– Justin Fields has an adoT of 13.3 on play-action throws. 13.3! Only one other QB even cracks 11.
– Using play action, Ben Roethlisberger has been sacked on 62.5% of pressures. No one else is above 34.6%. He's twice as sackable as everyone else.
— Robert Mays (@robertmays) December 23, 2021
• I, too, am excited about Fields’ future. How could you not be? Hope spring eternal. And Fields’ athleticism and arm talent makes it easy to be hopeful. Now, let’s get clear of a nagging ankle injury that kept him out of Thursday’s practice and see what he can do Sunday in Seattle.
• Also missing from practice was Akiem Hicks, who was put into COVID protocols. Here’s hoping MNF wasn’t the last we saw of Hicks in a Bears uniform.
• On the other side of the line of scrimmage, some notable young players are trending upward:
Coming off their worst game of the season, the #Bears OL bounced back on MNF vs MIN. Here's each OL's PBWR for the game:
Teven Jenkins: 94.9%📈😤
Cody Whitehair: 85%😐
Sam Mustipher: 89.7%🤷♂️
James Daniels: 94.9%📈
Germain Ifedi: 95% 💪— Andrew Freeman (@AjFreeman25) December 22, 2021
• It was probably fair to conclude (based on Teven Jenkins’ college tape) that he could run block. But giving him a week’s worth of starters reps seems to have been helpful in getting him more comfortable in pass protection. Jenkins still has work to do in rounding out his game. He needs to show he can build on this performance. And stack quality games one-after-another. But this feels like a good base level to build from moving forward. Just three more games to put as much good tape out there as possible.
• On the other end of the spectrum, I don’t love that number next to Cody Whitehair’s name. That’s not what you’d expect to see from a veteran at what should be his best position. Don’t get me wrong. Whitehair is a mostly cromulent blocker. However, expectations are higher when you’ll have a cap number of $12.3 million in 2022. That’s just the nature of things at the intersection of “the game” and “the business.”
• And if you’re thinking about clearing Whitehair’s salary to create some cap room, think again. Unless, of course, you’re considering a post-June 1 cut that could create $8.1 million in cap space. That would come with a $4.2 million dead cap hit, but there could be some short-term gain. Otherwise, Chicago could cut Whitehair at the cost of losing $200,000 in cap space while being hit with a $12.5 million dead money charge. In other words, thanks … but no thanks. Deal with what you can while you can and hope Whitehair can bounce back. Or, at minimum, provide a bridge to 2023.
• Even though Darnell Mooney has fallen short of reaching the highs of being a true WR1, the second-year receiver has put himself in the conversation of being Justin Fields’ go-to-guy. More on Mooney’s climb:
Darnell Mooney has a chance to join the 1,000-yard fraternity with a strong finish to the season. He's also strengthening a connection with QB Justin Fields.
Inside Mooney's drive, improved route running & the purchase he made with his first check.https://t.co/N4twmXSYLP
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) December 23, 2021
• Here is some good news from the COVID front — the Bears are getting their play-caller back:
#Bears OC Bill Lazor is back from his COVID-19 quarantine.
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) December 23, 2021
• I regret not starting A.J. Brown during championship week. How was I supposed to know I could trust a player in his first game back from injury:
How good was A.J. Brown in his return last night?
▫️ He accounted for 69.4% of the Titans receiving yards, the most by any NFL player in a game this season (min. 200 total team yards)
▫️He had 8 catches on 3rd down, the most by any player since at least 1978.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 24, 2021
• The Titans are a perfect example of how it matters less what side of the ball your head coach comes from, and that a good coach (no matter their background) will excel in putting his players in the best position to succeed. From there, everyone wins.
• Vrabel’s Titans are 39-24 since the start of 2018. They’ve won nine games twice, and are rolling with consecutive 10+ win seasons. And they’ve done so while losing key top lieutenants. After the 2018 season, the Packers hired away Matt LaFleur. And Bears fans know all too well how that has gone for the Packers. Fast forward to 2021, and Arthur Smith – who replaced LaFleur – was getting poached by the Falcons. So, not only are Vrabel’s teams thriving, he is doing something right when it comes to hiring assistants who can be groomed into future head coaches.
• I suppose it’s worth noting, but Titans Offensive Coordinator Todd Downing is one of those young coaching prospects worth keeping tabs on when we get into the hiring cycle. And for whatever it is worth, the Bears have some familiarity with Downing because he was on the organizational short-list of candidates for the QBs Coach gig back in 2018.
• Slowly continuing to convince myself this is a good deal:
Cubs Will Reportedly “Try to Convince” Carlos Correa to Take a Seven-Year Deal – https://t.co/kx3G5X5KZI pic.twitter.com/QoRXgdMnyi
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) December 23, 2021
• The Bulls are game-changers:
The Bulls Played a Big Role in How the League is Handling the Latest Outbreakhttps://t.co/RJ5AA059hJ
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) December 23, 2021
