Spooky QB Futures, Mic’d Up Miller Swag, Props From the Past, and Other Bears Bullets

October 31, 2019, by Luis Medina Chicago Bears

Things haven’t been great in our nation’s capital, so it is fair to use a World Series win by Washington D.C.’s baseball team to remind folks that anything is possible. Seriously. If the Nationals can go from 19-31 to champions, then anything is truly possible. Balanced budget? It can happen. Peace on earth? Yep, that too. The Bears finding a long-term quarterback solution everyone can rally around? Like I said, anything can happen.

I had fun jumping on Zach Lee’s podcast to talk about the Bears. You can listen below:

Previewing Bears – Eagles and ranking offseason approaches to the QB position with Bleacher Nation's @lcm1986! https://t.co/vBZ0rZOfpA

— Zach Lee (@rightfieldsucks) October 31, 2019

No spoilers, but we broke down everything from the upcoming Eagles game (gulp!) to the Bears’ future options at the quarterback position (hey, they’re not as bad as you think!) in the pod. You should give it a listen at some point later today.
Speaking of future quarterbacks, I’d like for you to meet Jordan Love and the prospects who could be on the Bears’ radar should they choose to draft a quarterback with one of their second-round picks this spring.

Days later, this is still rattling around in my mind:

When ESPN’s Louis Riddick is on Monday Night Countdown and says “the writing is on the wall” for Mitch Trubisky and that “Matt” will be looking for a new QB.

But it’s not coming from Coach Nagy. pic.twitter.com/3qrBvid3xr

— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) October 28, 2019

Louis Riddick’s commentary is interesting because it comes from a guy who is close with Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy and has a relationship that dates back to their time in Philadelphia. But even if Riddick didn’t hear that commentary from Nagy, we’re still getting the perspective from Riddick — someone who played in the league and served as a pro scout/director of pro personnel in a front office role. Someone with that extensive background should have an idea if certain players have “it” or not. Riddick’s honest thoughts on the Bears’ quarterback situation were quite sobering.
I appreciate this perspective from a friend:

Pace assembled one of the best rosters in the league. Top to bottom. Free agency, draft, trade.

The rebuild came down to his QB evaluation. He failed.

Should he get another shot? Yep. Should we question whether he can find the right guy given Trubisky/Glennon? Yep.

— Joe Tidei (@JoeyProspects) October 30, 2019

One thing the Bears aren’t short on? Swag:

I would quibble with the use of the term “fun” here:

Fun fact: The Bears have lost four in a row to the Eagles, including January’s playoff game. Their last win in the series? 11/7/2011 in Philadelphia, 30-24. Forte ran for 133. Jay threw two TDs. And Matt Nagy was the Eagles’ 33-year-old offensive quality control coach.

— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) October 31, 2019

Lost in the maddening display of “offense” last week was the improved play of the Bears’ defense, starting from the middle of the group:

You want to see outstanding ILB tape? Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith put on a clinic in run defense against the Chargers. Trevathan is one of the most underrated players in the NFL. Roquan’s instincts were on display and he’s playing fast again. Huge development for #Bears.

— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) October 31, 2019

It’s hard not to get caught up in Roquan Smith’s revival last week. That game represented his best of the 2019 season and the first time Smith looked like the guy who was recking opposing ball-carriers as a rookie. He was aggressive, intense, and true to his form. Where do I sign up for more?
The Bears will need Smith and Danny Trevathan to be at their best, especially if Miles Sanders can play through this shoulder injury. Because here is how ridiculous Sanders has been to this point of his rookie season:

Miles Sanders is the fourth player in NFL history with 250 yards rushing, 250 receiving and 250 on kick returns in his first eight games.

The others are Abner Haynes of the Chiefs [1960], Hall of Famer Gale Sayers of the Bears [1965] and Troy Stradford of the Dolphins [1987].

— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) October 30, 2019

Elsewhere on the injury report:

Really feels like as long as he has a good week of practice that DeSean Jackson is going to play vs. Bears #Eagles

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) October 30, 2019

Here’s a story I did not expect to be on my radar in 2019: Super Bowl winning receiver Dennis McKinnon says he believes Head Coach Mike Ditka put down a prop bet in Las Vegas for William “The Refrigerator” Perry to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl. A “prop bet” is one where you can wager on a specific event happening in a given game, like Player X scoring a touchdown, Player Y leading the team in receiving yards, Player Z throwing an interception … you surely get the gist by now. Anyway, McKinnon talks about the Bears game plan to take out star running back Walter Payton to get Perry a shot at scoring from close range, which opens up all sorts of galaxy-brain theories. For the record, I wasn’t born when the Bears won the Super Bowl. But I wouldn’t put anything past anyone because I hear the 80’s were a trippy time for the sports landscape.
You can listen to the full interview here

The Chicago Bears’ PA announcer is retiring after the season. Jim Riebandt, the voice you have heard from above since 1982, is putting down the mic at the end of the years. You know what makes a nice retirement gift? A Super Bowl ring. Just saying.
This isn’t Bears related, but it doesn’t make it any less cool:

Gorbachev, Reagan & Bush jerseys sit in an Illinois equipment room.

They were supposed to be delivered to the Cold War leaders 30 years ago when the #Illini were set to play a game in Moscow. Until it all unraveled.
https://t.co/7tivp5axHn pic.twitter.com/x2UwWzlWL7

— Shannon Ryan (@sryantribune) October 30, 2019

Happy Halloween, you little monsters:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4SKM0ZFv-S/

Air fryers, ear buds, and vacuums are among the Deals of the Day at Amazon today. #ad
The Bulls lost another maddening game last night, and I’ve already had it up to here: