Rebuilding Teams Should Be Using the Bears as Blueprint and Other Bullets

I am responsible for making my grandma’s dinner tonight, which happens to be the first meat-less Friday of Lent. Here’s hoping she isn’t in a picky mood and she has a taste for a grilled cheese.

  • After briefly debating the idea internally, I’m totally OK with the Bears being the standard from which other teams copy their plans:
  • Imitation is the highest form of flattery (or so I’m told), and I’d be tickled pink if I were the Bears and saw teams trying to jack my style. And while the Brown trade to Buffalo has since fallen through, the point remains: surrounding Josh Allen with the sort of pieces that can make him more successful is the first step toward properly developing a franchise quarterback.
  • If Brown ultimately gets dealt to a situation he doesn’t like and follows the Le’Veon Bell path and sits out 2019, at least we know he has a side-hustle that works:
  • I’m not losing sleep over the Brown trade saga. But if you want to dream on the Bears pulling off a surprising deal that lands Brown in Chicago, who am I to stop you? Let dreamers dream big things. Nothing good has happened for anyone who has set a low bar to clear.
  • If David Kaplan wants to speak good things into existence for the Bears, then by all means, let him do so. Hey, Kap, do us all a solid by speaking a 4,000-yard, 40-touchdown, MVP season by Mitch Trubisky into reality. Thanks in advance.
  • In case you missed it, the “are they in or are they out?” nature of the Packers’ interest in Antonio Brown has me feeling a little itchy.
  • Thankfully, wide receiver isn’t a high-priority need for the Bears heading into the 2019 league calendar year. Over at Bleacher Report, Chris Roling breaks down every team’s biggest weak link and highlights Leonard Floyd being just that for the Bears. Wait, what? Sure, Floyd’s overall numbers since being drafted in 2016 are disappointing, but Roling doesn’t seem to consider the injuries that have limited him in prior seasons. And after a slow start where Floyd was slowed by an injured hand that needed to be placed in a cast, Floyd took off and put together a strong finish (thanks, in part, to the Khalil Mack Effect). Pin-pointing Floyd as a weak link feels short-sighted, especially when the only kickers on the roster are on reserve/future deals.
  • Bilal Nichols is me pointing to what I hope is an enjoyable weekend:
  • View this post on Instagram

    Hey look, it's almost the weekend.

    A post shared by Chicago Bears (@chicagobears) on

  • Nichols’ production as a rookie was a testament to all phases of the Bears organization working as one. The scouting department found a solid player, the coaching staff developed him, and now we look at the defensive line as a strength because a player like Bilal Nichols is part of the depth of talent at the line of scrimmage. Well done by all parties.
  • Shot:
  • https://twitter.com/Browns/status/1104022735016128512

  • Chaser:
  • The Giants are on the Bears’ 2019 schedule, which makes this move that much more interesting from our perspective. Olivier Vernon earned a trip to the Pro Bowl as Khalil Mack’s replacement after collecting seven sacks and 21 quarterback hits in 11 games for the Giants. As for Kevin Zeitler, he has been a model of consistency and excellence at guard for years. No guard had a better pass-blocking grade than the 91.7 Zeitler posted for Cleveland last season, which is a good enough reason for New York to swing this deal.
  • Vacuums, watches, and speakers are among your Deals of the Day at Amazon today.
  • written by

    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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