It’s 36 degrees in Chicago as I start this post, which feels like a heatwave compared to what we had been dealing with in recent days. I’m spending the morning with my grandmother, who is happy to see me … and happier that I brought her coffee to start the day.
Let’s all take a moment to celebrate the birthday of Papa Bear George Halas:
So on top of Super Bowl LIV (or 54, for those who aren’t fluent in Roman numerals) being 34 years after the Bears last won their own title, it’s suddenly hit me that next year’s Super Bowl will be played on George Halas’ birthday. Yeah, that kind of symmetry is impossible to ignore. Bears by 100, baby!
It’s only fitting that the inaugural class of the Ford Hall of Fans (which will be conveniently located in Canton) includes a Bears die-hard:
Bearman is one of the most unique fans of any team. He rocks a Doug Plank No. 46 jersey, a real bear’s head, paints his face with the Bears’ navy blue and orange colors, and is as passionate as they get. Congrats, Bearman. We couldn’t think of a more fitting fan to go in and represent the Bears.
The salary cap crunch that faces Chicago has been on our mind for a hot minute. Even before the team re-signed right tackle Bobby Massie to a four-year extension, we figured the Bears would be up against it. On one hand, it’s not as if they have a ton of starting positions to fill or many glaring needs beyond the obvious one to upgrade the kicking situation. The core is in tact and the roster needs some tweaks on the second level of the depth chart to round out the roster in order to put this team back into a position to make hay in its window of contention. But wouldn’t it be nice if we lived in a cap-less NFL era?
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon shares who he believes would be a bold free agent signing for each of the NFL’s 32 teams this offseason. For the Bears, it would be Chiefs pass-rusher Dee Ford. Adding Ford to a ferocious defense would be an absolute treat. Ford racked up 13 sacks, collected 29 quarterback hits, 13 tackles for loss, and forced seven fumbles en route to making the Pro Bowl in 2018. Putting Ford on the opposite side of Khalil Mack would have quarterbacks re-thinking the decisions that led them to the moment in life where Mack and Ford are bearing down on them from the edges. Oh, and here come Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman, too. Unfortunately, salary cap constraints will keep that dream scenario as just that … but admit that you had as much fun thinking about it as I did.
I mean, does anyone remember what happened the last time the Bears brought in a big-time free-agent pass-rusher?
Julius Peppers earned every penny of his contract:
Julius Peppers walks away from the game having earned approx. $165M across 17 seasons w/ the #Panthers, #Bears & #Packers – making him the highest earning defensive player of all-time. pic.twitter.com/5yR99mfEPJ
My favorite Julius Peppers fun fact has nothing to do with the 159.5 sacks, 52 forced fumbles, 11 interceptions, four pick-sixes, or 82 passes defended (so many batted-down balls at the line of scrimmage). Nope. My favorite Julius Peppers fun fact has everything to do with his cameo in Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” music video. Check out how some of his teammates reacted to learning that news:
Jeff Joniak’s notebook over at WBBM 780’s website has its share of nuggets and tidbits. There is stuff about Eddie Jackson getting props for his play, Trey Burton on what it means to be a finalist for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, and the increased “Bears footprint” at this Super Bowl compared to last year’s event. Give it a read to get caught up an the extra Bears fix you need.
Nick Folk was among the kickers who rolled up into Halas Hall looking for a futures gig that ultimately went to Redford Jones, but that’s not keeping Folk from trying to get back into the game. Folk is giving it a shot for Arizona’s team in the new Alliance of American Football League and discussed why with ESPN’s Michael Rothstein: “I ended my time in Tampa with that injury, and my last game being hurt I wasn’t able to perform at my best, and I want to show people that I’m back to kicking well.” If Folk kicks well, then he’ll get a shot. It might not be with the Bears, but the NFL’s caravan of kickers is always on the move.
Wade Wilson, a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and assistant coach, passed away Friday, his birthday, at the age of 60. Wilson served as the Cowboys' quarterback coach from 2007-17, helping develop Tony Romo into the franchise's all-time leader in touchdown passes and four…
In addition to a lengthy NFL career, Wilson was the Bears’ QBs Coach from 2004-06 and was part of the Lovie Smith Bears that won the NFC North in 2005 and 2006, as well as the NFC Championship winners that lost in Super Bowl XLI against the Colts.
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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