It’s one thing to have no hard feelings after being cut (despite being the best kicker in franchise history), but it’s something else to be apologetic on your way out the door. But that’s exactly where Robbie Gould’s heart was upon his release prior to the 2016 season.
“I have no animosity,” Gould said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “If you look back on the 11 years I spent there, the only thing I didn’t accomplish as a Chicago Bear was winning a Super Bowl — and I told Mrs. (Virginia) McCaskey I was sorry for that, and I deeply mean that.”
Right in the feels, Robbie.
This Sunday’s matchup is less of a revenge game and more of a game featuring a pair of young quarterbacks with talent, upside, and a lot to learn (plus plenty to gain). We’ll start with Jimmy Garoppolo, a quarterback who was often linked to the Bears via the offseason rumor mill and ultimately stayed with the New England Patriots until the 49ers ponied up with a deal that met their demands. Garoppolo might not have been starting this week if it weren’t for rookie C.J. Beathard’s injuries, but the childhood Bears fan will make his debut against the team he rooted for growing up.
Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald writes about the homecoming for the Rolling Meadows High School graduate and Eastern Illinois University product, and it’s a fun read. Indeed, Garoppolo recently spoke with Chicago reporters on a conference call and revealed some additional background. Like, for example, did you know he owned Brian Urlacher and Anthony Thomas jerseys growing up? If you’re in the same age range as Garoppolo, you probably nodded and smiled reminiscing of the days of Urlacher running down ball carriers and the A-Train bulldozing through defenders.
Of course, that’s not really top of mind for Garoppolo, who has a lot on his plate entering Week 13. For starters, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee writes Garoppolo hopes to be comfortable enough ditch the cheat sheet wristband with the 49ers’ plays. Despite being a known commodity because of his time as a backup with the Patriots, Garoppolo might as well still have rookie status – especially considering he has only spent a few weeks with his new team. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan has the same hopes Garoppolo does and will see how he feels at the end of the week before making a decision.
I’m curious how this play is described on the wristband:
After back-to-back weeks in which he completed 60 percent of his passes, Trubisky’s accuracy disappeared in the loss against the Eagles. Dan Durkin of The Athletic dives into the tape to analyze Trubisky’s mechanical issues, JJ Stankevitz of NBC Sports Chicago wonders if Trubisky’s footwork and accuracy are long-term concerns, and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune has Trubisky’s accuracy as a question of high importance in the wake of last Sunday’s performance.
As was noted in Wednesday’s Bullets, Trubisky’s development is the top priority from now until the season wraps up. Based on the investment GM Ryan Pace put in him and the importance of the quarterback position, everything should be done with Trubisky’s growth in mind. Still, it all should start with Trubisky and straightening out the mechanical issues which have led to so many misfires.
Perhaps receiving a boost from the defense will help the offense gain better field position. Danny Trevathan practiced for the first time since suffering a calf injury before the bye week and could return to the playing field on Sunday. Just don’t ask him about what’s going on with John Fox and the coaching rumor mill:
OK, but you could totally ask us about coaching rumors – which were discussed earlier today here.
Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune has some details regarding Tre McBride’s release and the connection to Monday’s argument. “I didn’t hear it, but I can just say that it happens on the sideline, that happens in meetings, that happens all the time,” Fox said, via Campbell’s story in the Tribune. “I just think that [meeting] room is closer to y’all than I probably would have designed it.”
If that kind of thing happens as often as Fox leads on, then what McBride did on Monday must have been over-the-top if that’s what got him booted from the squad. Especially considering the lack of talent at wide receiver currently on the roster and sitting on the practice squad.
Fox chalked up McBride’s cut to a roster churn, writes ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson. I suppose this theory holds holds some water considering the Bears have since added Lamarr Houston and Chris Prosinski, pushed Howard Jones to the practice squad, and have opened up the 21-day practice window for the return of safety Quintin Demps from injured reserve. It sounds as if the Bears will get Josh Bellamy (the player with whom McBride was arguing) back on Sunday. Bellamy missed the loss to the Eagles with a concussion.
As for Houston, Jordy McElroy of FanRag Sports warns not to get too excited about the return of the ex-Bear pass rusher. McElroy comes to the conclusion that Houston’s inability to stand out from the Texans’ young linebackers raises concerns about his production and effectiveness. Houston is nothing more than a stop-gap defender on a team desperately in need of one. So in that case, yeah, there isn’t much to be excited about. But at this point, having an experienced player who knows your team’s system is valuable for a young group.
HOWEVER, the hope should be that Houston (who played on just 43 percent of the Texans’ snaps in his last two games before being waived) doesn’t significantly block a player like Isaiah Irving’s development. The undrafted free agent who has spent most of the season as a special teams contributor played a season-high 36 defensive snaps. He was one of the preseason’s most effective pass-rushing 3-4 outside linebackers in the preseason, so it would be nice to use the next five games to evaluate what he could bring to the table in 2018.
NEWSLETTER
