In the Eyes of the Bulls, the Bears Are a Model Franchise and Other Bullets

Feb 08, 2019

This is the first Friday we’ve had in a while where we didn’t have any NFL games to look forward to in the days to come. I’m sure we’ll find ways to pass the time. For example, this Sunday happens to be my grandmother’s 91st birthday. Perhaps I’ll bake her something that will satisfy her sweet tooth. Any suggestions?

Here is an example of how much the perception of the Bears has changed in a calendar year. In an interview with 670 The Score, Bulls executive John Paxson referenced the Bears’ rebuild as he made a plea for patience from Bulls fans because what the Bears accomplished can be done by the Bulls if given time. What Paxson (conveniently?) left out was that the Bears changed the direction of the program after hitting rock bottom, which doesn’t seem like a course of action the Bulls are willing to take right now. The up-swing began with the Bears signing a head coach who was mildly competent, attacking the draft with vigor, then bringing sweeping changes with a younger, more innovative head coach, hitting with an aggressive and successful free agency plan, and trading for a star player in his prime. Knowing what the Bears had to do to get to this moment, it’s safe to say the Bulls have a lot of work to do before they get to that point.

I suppose this is a good place to leave a link for our latest Talkin’ Toros podcast where the Bulls’ rebuild is a focal point of our conversation.

Haven’t been out since Club Dub closed in January. I miss it so much:

Club Dub. #TheThingIMissMost pic.twitter.com/lD3lp9kI9J

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) February 7, 2019

Has anyone put together a playlist of songs featured in Club Dub? That might be a project I put on Michael’s plate one of these days.

Now that NFL players have some free time on their hands, we can discuss hypotheticals like this one:

If @NFL players had to hoop against the @Lakers, who would you suit up?

PG:
SG:
SF:
PF:
C:
—
6th man:

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) February 6, 2019

My All-Bears Buckets Squad features Mitch Trubisky (PG), Tarik Cohen (SG), Eddie Jackson (SF), Khalil Mack (PF), Akiem Hicks (C), and Anthony Miller (6th man). I’ve got play-making and creativity in the backcourt, an elite defender on the wing, two-way players up front, and a spark-plug off the bench. Heck, this team might give the Bulls a run for their money.

Some old friends have found a new home:

#Titans signed former #Bears 3rd-round (2015) C Hroniss Grasu.

— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) February 7, 2019

The Jets have signed free agent G Jordan Morgan (6-4, 311), a fifth-round draft pick by the Bears (out of Kutztown) in 2017.

— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) February 7, 2019

One of these days, I’ll get over the Bears drafting Morgan ahead of All-Pro defensive back/return specialist Desmond King, a standout at Iowa who has carved out a niche with the Los Angeles Chargers. A missed opportunity for a defense that’s going to be left making important decisions on who to keep due to cap-based budget restraints.

Speaking of the Bears’ tight budget, it happens to be one of those things that would probably prohibit them from making a splash move like the one Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon suggests here. Because while trading a third-round pick for Vic Beasley sounds like a good idea in theory, it’s not all that realistic. The Bears have approximately $10 million in cap space and Beasley’s deal will really push up against it. Besides, the Bears already have a first-round pass-rusher at the position that they really like in Leonard Floyd, who has two more years of team control on his contract as opposed to one year that Beasley has as he’ll play on his fifth year option. This also doesn’t consider the Bears have needs at other positions. Putting a stud pass-rusher opposite Khalil Mack is a great idea, but this one isn’t a fit.

Gil Brandt was recently selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his work as an executive, which gives us all the more reason to never pass up an opportunity to link back to anything he shares from a player analysis perspective. Brandt shares three quarterbacks whose stocks are up and three more whose stocks are tumbling. It’s worth noting that two of the three quarterbacks whose stocks are on the decline reside in the NFC North. And no, Mitch Trubisky isn’t one of them. The Vikings’ Kirk Cousins tops the list for obvious reasons after he was unable to lead his team to the postseason. Then there’s Aaron Rodgers, the Packers quarterback who Brandt points out had a decline in touchdown rate and saw his completion percentage take a hit because he was throwing the ball away at a high rate. Brandt’s blurb doesn’t suggest the end is near for the long-time Bears nemesis, but hints at Superman being human.

It’s good to have bad lip reading back on our radar:

An electric knife sharpener is among the Deals of the Day at Amazon today.

written by

Luis C. Medina

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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