Quarterbacks have won 10 of the last 11 NFL MVP awards. So with that in mind, are you intrigued by Mitch Trubisky’s odds to win it this year?
Maybe you should be. Bovada has Trubisky’s MVP odds at 90/1, making him one of the longest long shots on the board. Players with longer odds than Trubisky include Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and Texans defensive star JJ Watt, which tells you everything you need to know about how the oddsmakers feel about the chances of a non-quarterback winning the award.
Because you might care, the rest of the group of favorites is littered with Bears opponents. That crew includes Russell Wilson (15/1), Jimmy Garoppolo (20/1), Kirk Cousins (22/1), Jared Goff (22/1), Matthew Stafford (30/1), Todd Gurley (40/1), and David Johnson (40/1). Aaron Rodgers (13/2) is the favorite, while Tom Brady (7/1), and Carson Wentz (13/2) aren’t far behind.
The most intriguing number on the board might be Deshaun Watson (20/1) who looked to be a lock for Rookie of the Year when he was leading the league in touchdown passes before his season-ending ACL injury.
Is there a future Bears player on this list of early Heisman Trophy candidates? Only time will tell:
Allen Robinson has big-play potential and will be leaned on heavily when he is able to give it a full-go in Bears camp. Robinson isn’t the only high-profile player on the comeback trail, as Bears Wire’s Lorin Cox notes that there are a slew of players who can make a run at the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award. This year’s star-heavy class includes Aaron Rodgers, JJ Watt, and Deshaun Watson. If Robinson can play his way into the conversation with these guys, then something will have gone amazingly right for the Bears (and Robinson’s health) in 2018.
Earlier, we looked at Robinson as a WR1 for your favorite team … and your fantasy team.
This is one way to disspell a popular narrative:
Inside linebacker Roquan Smith was the lead-off man in the Bears’ “Meet the Rookies” series, where his mother revealed a little known fact about the team’s first-round selection. Smith’s mother said her son was so good, children, parents, and others were convinced he was cheating … to the point where they had to bring his berth certificate to prove his age. From there, the rest is history. You can check out the full video of what figures to be a fun series here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIhcfbvnjkE
Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic puts together a profile of Bears Defensive Quality Control Coach Sean Desai, who has a different kind of off-the-field gig. Desai is a professor at Lake Forest College where he teaches a course called “Ethical Leadership and Decision-Making.” Desai has a pretty impressive résumé, which includes a Ph.D., Master’s degree, and the fact that he has survived two coaching changes to remain with the Bears.
I know I’ve raved about the Bears’ organge uniforms, but I really wouldn’t mind if they also brought back this style of helmets:
A retired NFL referee is doing some double dipping in the broadcast booth this coming season. The Associated Press reports that CBS Sports has brought on Gene Steratore as a rules analyst for its NFL broadcasts. He will also spend some time breaking down college buckets, too. Steratore was a widely respected official in both games, so the hope here is that he’ll be able to successfully take us into what’s happening when things are under review in games of consequence this season.