Bears Bullets: Howard’s Big Plays, Hall’s Hurdles, Watson Impresses Texans Coach, Favre Throws, More

Indy Car racer Ed Jones will be sporting this pretty sweet helmet while racing this weekend:

Best of luck to you this weekend, Mr. Jones.

  • Is there anything Jordan Howard can’t do? He runs between the tackles, he picks up yards after contact, sets lofty goals with the hopes of not being a one-year wonder, and now Pro Football Focus shares some new data and another leaderboard where Howard is near the top. Only two running backs had higher percentage of their rushing yards come on gains of 15 yards or more than Howard, who gained 36.9 percent of his rush yards on these types of runs. Howard’s breakaway percentage was beaten by a pair of Raiders running backs, with Jalen Richard (40.9%) and DeAndre Washington (37.7%) taking the top two spots.
  • Deiondre’ Hall was drafted in the fourth round by the Bears in 2016, coming off the board eight picks before the Dallas Cowboys selected quarterback Dak Prescott. Hall was one of three defensive backs taken by the Bears last season, and is one of the players who will have his work cut out for him this summer with a revamped (and suddenly, crowded) secondary. Over at CSN Chicago, Chris Boden wonders if Hall can overcome issues on and off the field to make a positive impact on the Bears in 2017. If you’ll recall, Hall was arrested in the offseason, though it appears his honesty with the Bears about the situation saved his job for the time being. Still, he’ll need to show he is healthy after ending the season on injured reserve, while also adjusting to a new position in order to make the final cut.
  • One of the knocks nearly all quarterback prospects who enter the draft take is that their college’s offense doesn’t prepare them for what they will see in the NFL. But don’t tell that to Bill O’Brien, the Houston Texans head coach who told the Houston Chronicle that Clemson’s offense has prepared Deshaun Watson to make that transition. O’Brien found himself impressed with Watson’s football intelligence during camp, adding that he is “wise beyond his years” for being a rookie. Remember, Houston traded up in the draft (dealing a future first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in the process) from 25th to 12th to take Watson. It was one of three trades made by teams to move up in the first round to draft quarterbacks.
  • Ian Rapoport reported that the Kansas City Chiefs wanted to interview ESPN’s Louis Riddick for their newly vacant GM spot. Riddick, who interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers GM opening before it went to John Lynch, worked previously in the front offices of the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles before settling into his TV role. HOWEVER, Riddick has taken to Twitter to deny the Chiefs have made contact.
  • And while this doesn’t impact the Bears directly, it’s worth noting that there are some well thought of potential executives out on the market with former Chiefs GM John Dorsey, former Washington GM Scot McCloughan, and Riddick near the top of the list. Based on the way the Bears attacked free agency going after short-term assets, while countering in the NFL Draft with long-term development projects, Ryan Pace’s job seems safe in Chicago. But if it was to go south for the Bears in a hurry, there would be some talented names to choose from this offseason.
  • Pro Football Talk highlighted some of the most important dates of the NFL’s recent schedule release for 2018. If you’re already looking to sim through the 2017 to get to 2018, note that the NFL Scouting Combine will take place from Feb. 27 to March 5, free agency starts on March 14, and the NFL Draft kicks off on April 26 – but the location has yet to be determined. And if you’re not looking to hit the fast forward button at this point, the NFL’s trade deadline is Oct. 31.
  • It’s been a while since the retired Brett Favre has attempted to make a return to the NFL, but it looks like the former Green Bay Packers star still has the arm strength to get it done:
  • https://twitter.com/ChampionsTour/status/878806292302671876

    written by

    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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