In preparing to host a Friendsgiving gathering next Wednesday evening, I found some giveaways from the Cubs-Rockies Wild Card Game in October.
I’ve kept little trinkets from all of the postseason games I’ve attended, but felt it was necessary to toss the handouts from that particular game in the trash. And frankly, it felt good to do it. Hopefully, ridding myself of something that will remind me of an awful two days of baseball will make me feel better about things elsewhere in my world of sports moving forward.
Speaking of feeling good about things moving forward, how can you not be encouraged by Cody Parkey heading to Soldier Field for practice? Yeah, we’re talkin’ about practice. But still … practice makes perfect. Or so I’ve been told.
WGN-TV sent a helicopter to hover over Soldier Field to provide a bird’s eye view of what was going down over by the lake. And I hope you enjoyed it while it was out there because it’s gone now:
Sending a chopper to watch Cody Parkey practice field goals at Soldier Field is the most Chicago thing ever. Right? And could you have imagined had the field goal attempt they had shown hit an upright? On second thought, maybe not.
A brief kicker comparison:
KICKER A: 84-101, 83.2 FG%
KICKER B: 76-88, 86.4 FG%
KICKER C: 276-323, 85.4 FG%
You’re intrigued, aren’t you? Kicker A is Nick Novak (one of the top available free agent kickers) from 2014-17. Kicker B is Cody Parkey, who put up some decent numbers between 2014-17. Kicker C is Robbie Gould’s entire Bears career. This was a roundabout way of suggesting we should maybe allow ourselves some time to ride it out with Parkey. Should he have a short leash moving forward? Probably. But abandoning hope during someone’s lowest point when they have previously proven to be successful doesn’t feel great.
At least Parkey has confidence, telling Chris Emma of 670 The Score: “I’ know I’m a great kicker. I”m just going to go out there on Sunday and try my best.” Trying is a start!
The Bears-Vikings showdowns (twice in the second half of the season!) will have a different look than what we saw last year. Well, at least from a Bears perspective. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin dissects the changes in Chicago from a Minnesota perspective and how the Vikings could go about stopping the Bears. It should go without saying, but the challenges in stopping this offense aren’t the same ones that were presented by Dowell Loggains and friends last year.
Mike Zimmer has a lot more to worry about now than when his Vikings closed out the 2017 regular season with a resounding win against the Bears. Zimmer quipped about Matt Nagy’s 800-play offense, but as Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times points out, it’s more like 750 according to the Bears’ head coach.
When Sunday’s game kicks off, Mitch Trubisky will have made two starts against the Vikings at Soldier Field and both will have been played in primetime. I’ll never forget the buzz around Trubisky’s debut on Monday Night Football against Minnesota. He started off strong, fizzled, bounced back with a flash here and there, but was mostly inconsistent. Harrison Smith using Jedi mind tricks to force Trubisky into throwing a pass that was destined to be intercepted is what makes Smith an All-Pro player. Ideally, the Bears would find a way to neutralize Smith. Or at minimum, try and take him out of plays where he can’t hurt Trubisky.
There is still time to vote in Trubisky as FedEx’s Air Player of the Week:
Last night, I learned there are some of you who aren’t looking forward to the primetime matchup, because you’re afraid of Trubisky and the Bears exposing themselves as frauds on national television. Sure, Trubisky has a 74.7 career passer rating in primetime as opposed to a 95.2 rating for early starts … but don’t let that get in your head. My friend Jim presented this to me in a random text and it triggered a memory:
This primetime affair was Jared Goff’s coming-out party. I remember it well because I was at a bar watching baseball and it felt like Goff was doing something amazing every time I’d look up between innings. Goff finished 22 of 28 for 292 yards and three touchdowns. Goff was on my fantasy bench at the time and I still have so many regrets about that night.
The argument can be made that Trubisky has already had his breakout performances, but to have one in primetime would really add a log to the fire. He’ll get his chances for nationally televised glory in the next two games, and then once again when the Rams come to town in December.
Mitch Trubisky is literally doing things no Bears quarterback has ever done before:
Let’s not forget it’s a big game for Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, too:
https://twitter.com/nflnetwork/status/1063054356570927104
Kirk Cousins will go against a Bears secondary that features two of the five highest-graded cornerbacks:
And because I know you’re curious, Prince Amukamara checks in at No. 17 overall.
Chicago’s front office moved on quickly from offensive lineman Tom Compton. You might not have realized it because Compton played the role of swing tackle reserve lineman who made just five starts in 11 games. Compton opens up about moving on and taking his talents to his home-state team:
Game on, Bears fans:
Good work, Cody:
NEWSLETTER
