Making a batch of Rice Krispies treats at 11 p.m. was a questionable decision until this morning hit and I wanted something to satisfy my sweet tooth to get my day started. Once in a while, I find myself digging that extra jolt from a non-traditional first meal. Or, in other words, I need to figure out how to use the new coffee machine.
Sometimes, I feel as if PFF puts stuff out there to get a rise out of Bears fans. The latest from the analytics experts:
Now, I suppose that – relative to the teams in the bubble – there’s an argument to be made for the Bears being in the worst spot. Two of those teams (Texans, Saints) were in the postseason and figure to have a leg up to make it next year. Compared to the Texans and Saints, the Bears are in a far worse position. The Steelers are a tough team to peg, but they have a decided strategic advantage with Mike Tomlin as their head coach.
So … the correct answer is the Rams. Right?
The Rams have tied up $70,092,682 worth cap charges in quarterback Jared Goff (who has been decidedly mediocre (84.5 passer rating, 1.4 TD%, 62.5% completions) in 20 games since Vic Fangio messed up his vibe in December 2018), Todd Gurley (a running back whose injuries have slowed him down and dropped his per carry average to 3.8 yards and per game average to 57.1 yards in his age 25 season), and Brandin Cooks (a receiver who was an enigma in 2019 (42 catches, 583 yards, 2 TD after averaging 77 catches, 1,149 yards, and 7 TD from 2015-18). And they still need to lock up Jalen Ramsey, otherwise they will have traded away a first-round pick on just two years of cornerback play. The Bears aren’t in the greatest spot, but they aren’t far-and-away in the worst situation (despite PFF’s insistence to the contrary).
Here I am thinking it’s rough that the Bears will have gone two straight years without a first-round pick, the Rams are on the cusp of going five straight years without a first-rounder:
Assuming they don't trade back in, the Jalen Ramsey deal means the Rams will go five years (2017-21) without a first-round pick.
2017: to Tennessee for Jared Goff 2018: to New England for Brandin Cooks 2019: to Atlanta in trade down 2020-21: to Jacksonville for Jalen Ramsey
I always get a chuckle out of worrying about cap space issues because there is always a way to clean it up and create spending money. It’s like the “there’s always money in the banana stand” line from “Arrested Development.” As we’ve discussed before, the Bears are a few decisions away from creating the necessary cap room to fill spots on the roster in free agency. And it’s not like the Bears need to go overboard with their changes. This would be a different conversation had they dropped off from 12-4 to 4-12. They didn’t. So why act as if they did?
Even still … I could think of a number of teams in a worse position than either of those teams. The Jaguars, Falcons, and Lions come to mind. As do the Vikings (who are more than $11 million over the cap), Panthers (who could be at the start of a torturous rebuild), Jets (can’t wait to see what drama awaits!), and Chargers (they’re the afterthought NFL franchise in a city that didn’t really want one in the first place) aren’t in great spots either. Of course, so much can change between now and when training camp opens, trying to figure out who is in a bad spot on February 19 seems like a foolish game to play.
This is a fun scenario to think through:
In light of Drew Brees announcing that he's coming back, what if the following played out…
Chicago needs another QB to backup/potentially supplant Mitchell Trubisky. Bill Lazor, who was Andy Dalton's OC, is the OC in Chicago. What if Dalton ends up there via a trade?
gets pushed down to No. 5 (Miami). If the Bengals want to really shake things up in the draft while improving their roster immediately, this is one way that plays out.
The Bengals could really muck things by doing some outside-of-the-box stuff. Frankly, I’m here for it. Let chaos reign!
Jimbo Covert talking about his Hall of Fame honor is pretty neat:
From one successful Bears offensive lineman to another, Kyle Long’s honesty about how his career with the Bears ended is tough to take in. The guy gave it all he could until he could give no more. And to get only one playoff game out of it has to sting. But his perspective on his football life and career with the Bears is refreshing. Grant Gordon of NFL.com has more.
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
