I am absolutely over-the-moon when it comes to Bulls first-round draft pick Coby White. The basketball team I grew up rooting for picked my third favorite player in this draft. White isn’t a finished product by any means, but his speed, scoring ability, and elite hair made him one of the most fun prospects who were eligible to be selected in the 2019 NBA Draft. The Bulls got a fun guy. Hooray!
As a bald guy, I have no shame in admitting that Buster Skrine has great hair. And you know what they say about guys with great hair? They have great expectations for the 2019 Bears season:
After throwing his first pitch at Wrigley on Wednesday, he spoke to @Kelly_Crull about the high expectations he and his teammates have for this season. pic.twitter.com/AFvMFcvnGh
“Expectations are super high,” Skrine told Kelly Crull of NBC Sports Chicago. “The percentages of a team coming back and winning 12 games again is very low, but I think we do have the team to repeat or have an even better season.”
Skrine is right in one sense. Worst-to-first seasons are hard to repeat. NFL history is littered with examples of teams that shine brightly for one season, then fizzle out. But Skrine also spoke to the talent and leadership around him. Sure, history says it’s going to be hard for the Bears to run it back and do the thing again. But how often have those teams that flamed out had three first-team All-Pro defenders in their prime? Or the reigning NFL Coach of the Year coming back for his second season with a young quarterback on the rise? It won’t be easy, but the Bears have positioned themselves to go off in 2019.
It’s fitting that these quotes came from Skrine after throwing out the first pitch at Wrigley Field. Long-time Bleacher Nation readers know a thing or two about championship droughts and the culture change that needs to happen in order to wash away years of disappointment. We’re also well-versed on embracing high expectations. Here’s hoping Skrine and the Bears don’t let the pressure exceed the pleasure in the coming year.
Last year, the Bears announced their training camp schedule at the end of May. The team waited until the second half of June to share details regarding this year’s camp. Nevertheless, I’m still excited about spending some summer mornings in Bourbonnais. My expectation is that there will be a buzz at camp that will be unlike anything we have seen since the Jay Cutler era. Between coming off a winning season, having legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, and setting up a kicking competition, there is a decent chance we’ll have a carnival-like atmosphere on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University. Bourbonnais is going to be the place to be, and I can’t wait to see you there.
The Bears defense is going to look different with Adrian Amos and Bryce Callahan no longer lurking in the secondary. And it’s going to feel weird without Vic Fangio running the show, but Chuck Pagano figures to bring a different flavor to the party:
If it’s never too early to think about what the Bears defense can be under Chuck Pagano, it’s definitely not too early to think about your fantasy team. NFL.com’s Michael Fabiano has a 10-round mock draft, which features three Bears going within the first seven rounds. You can expect running back Tarik Cohen to go early, but Fabiano’s draft has Cohen and Montgomery going back-to-back with the third and fourth picks in Round 6. Wowzers! He also has receiver Allen Robinson going off the board in Round 7 with the 69th pick. That certainly would be a nice spot to land the Bears’ projected top receiver.
In the BN group thread, Michael Cerami made a good point in noting that Mitch Trubisky could be positioned for a great fantasy year because of the playmakers he has around him. HOWEVER, it’s possible that the depth on the offense could keep someone from being a true breakout performer. We might need to give Michael some space to write fantasy football at some point this coming season.
Speaking of Mitch, I think he’s on board with the Bulls’ first-round draft pick:
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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