With the Bulls long gone from the playoff picture, the Talkin’ Toros podcast has shifted gears to focus on the quality basketball that’s taking place between good teams. On our latest episode, Myles, Adam, and I discuss the Rockets losing their cool, Damian Lillard’s excellence, the Bucks’ Game 1 let-down in Round 2, and Jrue Holliday as a Bulls point guard option. Give us a listen!
This group has the potential to be all sorts of fun:
When the Bears were at their worst, it felt like they were drafting without a plan. Every team has their off-the-board picks that force you to wear out your keyboard in search of answers, but too many of those players turned out to be worth the time we put in to research them. That has changed in recent years. Not only are the Bears drafting players who put together good tape, they seem to be choosing guys who fit a particular mold. That is a tell-tale sign that a plan rooted in something bigger is in place. That warms the heart on a cool, rainy morning.
Speed has been made a priority by this front office. Kerrith Whyte Jr. Stephen Denmark, and Duke Shelley put up quality 40 times , and in the case of Whyte and Shelley, it showed on tape. Watching Denmark’s tape can be a bit rough because it’s not all that sharp. But a 4.46 40-yard dash time speaks to having some juice.
In the case of Riley Ridley and David Montgomery, top-end speed isn’t their game. Instead, football IQ and pure ability speaks to why they were drafted. Ridley is a sharp route-runner who doesn’t waste movement or time getting open. Montgomery does everything well out of the backfield and is as well-rounded as a draft prospect as they come.
This draft class represents a mix of what good teams should be looking for out of prospects: It’s a little bit of proven football skill, athletic traits that can be built on, and considerable upside.
The Bears backfield is offering up a little bit of something for everyone in 2019. Not only can I not wait to see how they’re all incorporated in the scheme, I want to see them on the field at the same time. That will totally drive defensive coordinators wild.
Shiny new things are fun:
You can’t put a number on how much better Bears drafts can be now that they have a state-of-the-art facility with a brand-new draft room. HOWEVER, it can’t hurt that the upgrades have brought the team into the new millennium. Look good, feel good, draft good, win good. Or something like that.
I have little doubt Chicago’s receivers were the most improved position group in the entire NFL in 2018. A year later, that squad is a little bit stronger because it is crazy deep:
Bears WR Depth:
• Allen Robinson • Anthony Miller • Taylor Gabriel • Cordarrelle Patterson • Javon Wims • Riley Ridley • Emanuel Hall
That’s an outstanding group with lots of competition throughout.
So much speed. So much route-running skill. So much pass-catching ability. It’s all there for Mitch Trubisky moving forward. It will soon be time to capitalize on it.
I don’t think the Bears are going to carry seven wide receivers this season, so there is a chance that the team will cut someone fans like. These are first-place problems, but we don’t need to cross that bridge until we get there.
You’re pounding the over on Bears wins in 2019, right?
2019 NFL Regular Season Win Totals
Ari 5 Atl 8.5 Bal 8.5 Buf 6.5 Car 8 Chi 9 Cin 6 Cle 9 Dal 9 Den 7 Det 6.5 GB 9 Hou 8.5 Ind 9.5 Jax 8 KC 10.5 LAC 9.5 LAR 10.5 Mia 5 Min 9 NE 11 NO 10.5 NYG 6 NYJ 7.5 Oak 6 Phi 9.5 Pit 9 SF 8 Sea 8.5 TB 6.5 Ten 8 Wsh 6.5
We have seen the Bears projected at 9.5 wins elsewhere, so I was a bit surprised to see them dropped to 9 here. If it dips to 8.5, then it’ll be impossible to not play the “over.” Even then, I still like the Bears’ chances of winning at least 10 games in 2019.
Positive vibes tend to be at their highest after a team’s draft, so perhaps there is value here in taking an under for a team that isn’t quite all the way there just yet. I’d need to do some more research before I stuck my neck out on the line and made that pick, though. Give me some time and I’m sure we’ll loop around to it between now and the start of the season.
There is one less free agent kicker on the market:
End of an era.
Sebastian Janikowski is retiring after 19 years in the NFL, per @AdamSchefter.
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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NEWSLETTER
