The term “hero” gets overused way too often in sports, but perhaps it fits better than usual right here:
Days before returning for Bears camp, Freeman went to Twitter to post about how he saved the life of a man choking by using the Heimlich maneuver at an airport in Austin, Texas.
Freeman told the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer that he saw a man in distress and came to the rescue after seeing a woman who was unable to use enough force to get the desired result of using the Heimlich. After the situation was resolved, the two posed for a photo and the man resumed his meal for a happy ending.
Now, what mother wouldn’t be proud of their life-saving son?
Mike Glennon has a lot of challenges ahead of him in 2017, but the most important might be for him to stay in the moment as the season gets underway. Glennon tells the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley that the team’s quarterback situation with rookie Mitch Trubisky lingering behind him on the depth chart will be on his mind, but only because he’s human. Glennon adds that staying in the moment will be important in helping him avoid worry and unnecessary stress. My mom always told me not to stress about things that are out of your hands, and thus, out of your control. It seems like Glennon – who signed a three-year deal this offseason – wants to travel down that road too, but it won’t be easy with Trubisky’s presence in the quarterbacks room.
Naturally, Glennon shows up as the Bears’ representative on Brad Sobleski’s list at Bleacher Report of most scrutinized players who will show up at training camp. Glennon will receive $18.5 million in guarantees for Year 1 in Chicago, and has a lot to prove in order to show he was worth the investment – even if his role is simply to be the bridge quarterback that gets the Bears from the Jay Cutler era to Mitch Trubisky time.
Glennon isn’t the only player under pressure to perform in 2017. Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune analyzes the Bears’ five most recent first-round picks, a group the Bears will need more from if they want to reach unforeseen heights in 2017. Offensive lineman Kyle Long has been the most productive, but injuries took their toll on the Pro Bowl lineman last season, and could keep him from participating early in camp. Kyle Fuller has his work cut out for him after an offseason in which the Bears signed two free agent cornerbacks to plug into starting roles. He will also have to battle two stellar nickel backs (Cre’Von LeBlanc, Bryce Callahan) if he is to earn significant playing time in the final year of his rookie contract. On the other side of the ball, receiver Kevin White is a player who simply needs to get on the field and play after being a non-factor in his first two years where he played in just four of 32 games.
The way I see it, the two most recent first-rounders hold the key for the Bears’ future success because of the sheer importance of their respective positions. GM Ryan Pace has hitched his wagon to developing Mitch Trubisky into a franchise quarterback, and outside linebacker Leonard Floyd as an edge rusher responsible for bringing down other team’s franchise quarterbacks. If it turns out the Bears “hit” on both of those picks, the arrow will be pointing up at Soldier Field sooner, rather than later.
Bob LeGere on the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald offers up a variety of important questions head coach John Fox and the Bears will face as training camp kicks off this week. Coming off a 3-13 season and nine wins in two years under Fox, it only makes sense that the Bears have more questions than answers at this point. However, an overhauled roster that could feature eight new starters will provide the answers as this season unfolds.
Over at Pro Football Weekly, Greg Gabriel lends his insight on how training camps have evolved. Garbiel is a long-time scout and former Bears scouting director who provides a different perspective to what can come out of camp. The biggest change is teams stepping off the gas regarding physical preparation, with more focus being on the mental aspect of the game. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a positive development because losing players to injury during the friendly fire of training camp can be painful. Unfortunately, it comes with the downside of some not-so-sharp play in certain areas, with tackling being atop the list. This leaves teams looking to strike a balance, which is quite the summer challenge.
Hey! That’s a familiar face!
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