The Bulls totally got doinked by the lottery balls last night. And it was held in Chicago? Ugh, that made it that much crueler than it needed to be. Over at Talkin’ Toros, we shared our raw emotions as it rolled out.
At least the Bears *and* Cubs still have positive vibes surrounding them. That’s good, right?
If you want to feel good about something, how about this: Mitch Trubisky’s 72.9 percent adjusted completion percentage on third down ranked as the seventh best in football last year. SEVENTH. BEST. And those numbers include regular-season and postseason play. When you’re sitting in the top-10 on a list that Drew Brees leads, it’s easy to feel good.
Digging into some more Mitch-related third-down numbers, I did not realize that he converted first downs on 44.9 percent of his third-down pass attempts last season. That ranked as the eighth-best percentage in the league. Patrick Mahomes (51.6 percent) checks in at No. 1, but you’ll also find Andrew Luck (3rd, 49.4 percent), Matt Ryan (4th, 48.6 percent), Jared Goff (6th, 46.0 percent), Drew Brees (9th, 44.4 percent), and Ben Roethlisberger (43.0 percent) in the top-10. So long as Trubisky continues to put himself in good company when it comes to stats like this, we’ll continue to ride the positive waves and dream on him taking another forward stride in his development this coming season.
Trubisky posted a 112.0 passer rating and completed 72.5 percent of his passes when targeting Trey Burton last year, and has been generally solid when throwing to his tight end targets. However, the overall production from the group left something to be desired. Perhaps undrafted rookie free agent signing Dax Raymond could help matters:
The Bears haven’t gotten an optimal return on their tight end investments. Could undrafted rookie Dax Raymond help with that? @djdurkin takes a look: https://t.co/nrBck6DTZI
Prior to the draft, I probably would have rolled my eyes had you suggested Raymond was going to end up with the Bears as an undrafted free agent because I felt as if he was going to get scooped up in the later rounds. But other teams passing on him might turn out to lead the Bears to a gem. Raymond is an athletic player with pass-catching potential, but there is still work to be done as a blocker and elsewhere in his game. Tight ends develop differently than other positions because of their responsibilities. There is also no one way to get the tight end – whomever it may be – up to speed quicker than usual. The Bears need to exercise patience, but also need to push for that group to be better as a whole.
Let’s put ourselves in a good mental space and enjoy Spice Adams doing Spice Adams things as we gear up for the #Bears100 celebration coming in June:
If you look hot, wear it. Way to rock it, James. And shout out to Jake Tolander for doing something cool! That memory should last for a good long time.
PFF Fantasy notes that Jordan Howard was the dude in the red-zone. He had 34 touches (tied-11th), 107 yards (8th), 9 touchdowns (tied-5th), and 5 missed tackles forced (tied-9th). The Bears are certainly going to miss that production, but it’s quite possible the team can replicate that production with David Montgomery (and to a lesser extent, Mike Davis). We have previously discussed the elusiveness Montgomery, Davis, and even Tarik Cohen possess. It’s not a coincidence that those three have that one thing in common.
Gunther Cunningham, a long-time NFL defensive mastermind who was among the handful of candidates who interviewed for the Bears’ head-coaching gig in 1999, passed away last weekend. May his family and friends find peace at this time when grief can be overwhelming.
In addition to his defensive wizardry, Cunningham also engineered one of my favorite coach quotes ever. In Week 1 of the 1999 season, Cunningha was the Kansas City Chiefs head coach going up against Dick Jauron. The battle of first-year head coaches was highlighted by Jauron’s Bears putting up 20 first-half points with OC Gary Crowton – a successful and (at the time) innovative – offensive guru dialing up all sorts of chicanery to get Chicago’s offense going. And Cunningham was not impressed: “They play razzle-dazzle football. But after you get used to it, once you see it on film, once a game’s played like this, now you know what they’re all about. It’s not confusing.”
Gotta give credit where it’s due: Gunther Cunningham absolutely nailed it. Because not only did the Bears offense score 0 points in the second half, Crowton’s “razzle-dazzle” fizzled out and he lasted just two years running the Bears’ offense.
The football world lost Gunther Cunningham this past weekend. Cunningham was a great defensive mind who brought a unique passion to the game during his 34 years coaching in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/PaQc9tTgoG
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.
The Chicago Bears stadium saga has as many plot twists as my abuela's favorite telenovelas. And the latest suggests that a move to Arlington Heights that once felt inevitable isn't in the cards as WGN reports that plans for the...
At first, the NFL tampering case involving the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings got a "ha ha" out of me because former Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace and wide receiver Darnell Mooney were secondary characters in the story. But little...
And then there was one. There were five quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and only Trevor Lawrence remains with the team that selected him. That will be the case once the Zach Wilson trade...
The 2024 NFL Draft begins Thursday. Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles, Assistant GM Ian Cunningham, Head Coach Matt Eberflus, and others will put their heads together to come up with a winning plan for the team's four picks (Nos....
It's Draft Week! After months of anticipation, the NFL's premier offseason event is finally here. We know how the first overall pick will go, but beyond that, we have a ton of unpredictability. Who will Washington take second? Will Arizona...
Happy NFL Draft Week! We finally made it. I'm so happy to be here. Let's boogie. There are just three days until the Chicago Bears go on the clock with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Unless something...
Chicago Bears fans are about to enter their Caleb Williams era. And while it won't become officially official until Thursday, what is becoming more apparent with each passing day is how thorough the vetting process was for the Bears before...
The 2024 NFL Draft is THIS WEEK. And you can expect the Chicago Bears to carry main character energy throughout the week. Armed with the No. 1 overall pick and a second top-10 selection, Chicago's football team will be at...
I've been trying to make the most of my last weekend before NFL Draft Week begins for the Chicago Bears (and the other 31 teams in the league). Later today, I'll take a break from listening to the new Taylor...
Sorry for the late version of post-brunch Bears Bullets. I'll make it up to you somehow. I don't want to lead off with somber news, but I do want to pay some respect to Bill Tobin. The former Bears exec...
The Philadelphia 76ers are 4-point favorites in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday, beginning at 7:30 PM ET on TNT. The Knicks lead the series...
The Orlando Magic are slight 1-point favorites heading into Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Amway Center on Thursday, tipping off at 7:00 PM ET on NBA. The Cavaliers lead the...
The Indiana Pacers are slight 1-point underdogs in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday, beginning at 8:30 PM ET on NBA. The Bucks are ahead 1-0 in...
The Minnesota Timberwolves are slight 3-point favorites in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Phoenix Suns at Target Center on Tuesday, starting at 7:30 PM ET on TNT. The Timberwolves hold a 1-0 series...
The Los Angeles Clippers bring a 0-1 series record into Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. The Mavericks are favored by 2.5 points in the matchup, which airs on TNT at 10:00 PM ET. The point...
Nolan Arenado and the St. Louis Cardinals (10-13) host Ketel Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks (11-13) at 7:45 PM ET on Tuesday.See how to watch the St. Louis-Arizona matchup below.When is Cardinals vs. Diamondbacks and when does it start?This contest...
The bookmakers pick the Carolina Hurricanes to top the New York Islanders in their clash on Thursday, April 25, with the visiting Hurricanes given moneyline odds of -155, and the Islanders at +130.Hurricanes vs. Islanders Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Hurricanes (-155)Underdog:...
The Toronto Maple Leafs play the Boston Bruins on Wednesday and are -115 on the moneyline, with the latter at -105.Maple Leafs vs. Bruins Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Maple Leafs (-115)Underdog: Bruins (-105)Total: 5.5Best Maple Leafs vs. Bruins Promo Codes[lasso type="table"...
Logan Webb takes the mound for the San Francisco Giants (11-13) when they host starting pitcher Luis Severino and the New York Mets (12-10) at 9:45 PM ET on Tuesday.See how to watch the San Francisco-New York matchup below.When is...
Grayson Rodriguez will take the mound for the Baltimore Orioles (15-7) when they visit starting pitcher Griffin Canning and the Los Angeles Angels (9-14) on Tuesday, with first pitch at 9:38 PM ET.If you're planning on watching this game, keep...
NEWSLETTER
