NEWSLETTER
The highlight of my day yesterday was sharing some recently baked brownies with a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. I should probably share my baked goods with others more often because (1) it feels good and (2) I don’t need all this chocolate around the house. But mostly, it felt good to share with others.
• I found myself getting a hearty chuckle out of the My Plans/2020 memes that have taken over the web. Naturally, the Bears-themed gags are my favorites. Let’s laugh together, shall we?
My plans 2020 pic.twitter.com/asKjyahRlf
— Stephen Letizia (@StephenLetizia) May 20, 2020
My plans 2020 pic.twitter.com/zygn8VtKCT
— jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) May 20, 2020
my plans 2020 pic.twitter.com/BHZUpmv6Uk
— Robert Mays (@robertmays) May 20, 2020
• OK … the last one made me cry. Nevertheless, good stuff from the Bears Twitter community. Well done, y’all.
• Some G.O.A.T. QB talk:
• Sid Luckman was THAT DUDE. Five first-team All-Pro nods is more than all other Bears QBs combined. That’s nuts.
• Want more ridiculousness? His league-leading stats were wild. In 1941, he led the league in completion percentage (57.1%), and was top dog in passing yards (2,194 in 1943, 1,727 in 1945, 1,826 in 1946) and touchdowns (28 in 1943, 14 in 1945, 17 in 1946) three times. When he led the league in passing yards per game Luckman did so while averaging 219.4, 145.4, and 166.0 yards per game. In 1947, Luckman earned his final first-team All-Pro honors in a season in which he threw a segue-most 31 interceptions, but also added 2,712 yards, 24 touchdowns, and a league-best 8.4 yards per attempt and career-best 226.0 yards per game. What a mind-blowing collection of numbers!
• The five All-Pros and three Pro Bowls are going to be tough to come by, but some of the other numbers … come on. I long for the day when Jim McMahon and Jay Cutler aren’t battling to be behind Sid Luckman among the best quarterbacks in franchise history. Just one stud QB before I die … please?
• I’m so ready to watch the Bears let David Montgomery cook:
• These Bears player profiles on the team’s YouTube page are just so well done. Good job to everyone involved in these projects.
• Do you guys remember this run from Week 17?
I can’t wait to see the #Bears let David Montgomery EAT in 2020. pic.twitter.com/G6h6BEyvbw
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) May 19, 2020
• Yes, I realize that running the ball more often isn’t hip to the game right now. And indeed, I understand that passing the ball is a more effective way to matriculate down the field. Sure, I accept that you don’t need to run it effectively to have an impactful play-action game. But wouldn’t it be more fun if the Bears *DID* have a running game other teams had to respect. Or called it enough times to throw off defenders a little bit. Because even if it’s a half-fraction of a millisecond more, it’s quite obvious to me that this offense could use every advantage it can get.
• It’s why I find myself intrigued by the potential of the Bears using more “12” packages in 2020. Two tight ends who could run out for routes or stay in and assist the offensive line with blocking help should aid Matt Nagy and the offensive braintrust be less predictable in 2020. Bringing variety to the table is important. It might not be the sweeping change everyone desires, but I am convinced that every little bit helps along the way.
• Fun with small sample sizes: David Montgomery averaged 4.3 yards per carry over the final five games of the year and as given the rock – on average – 17 times per game. Extrapolate those numbers over a full 16-game season and we’re looking at 275 carries, 1,184 rushing yards. As a Bears fan, you’ll sign up for those numbers … right?
• That five-game spurt came after Montgomery was bottled up for 1.69 yards per carry against the New York Giants. In retrospect, getting locked up by a whack Giants defense probably cost someone on the offensive side of the ball their gig.
• Look, I wish that the Bears could sling the pigskin all over the field and be fun like *gestures at any number of teams in the league* but you have to make do with what you’ve got as a team. Just some food for thought.
• And yet, these numbers ain’t pretty:
David Montgomery — 2.51 yards per rush vs. 8+ defenders in the box (47 carries). https://t.co/8boGIFdsHS
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) May 19, 2020
• When defenses don’t respect your quarterback, and your offensive line struggles, and you’re rotating tight ends in and out of the lineup, this is what it looks like when your running back is going into the teeth of a loaded box.
• This is bold:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAX7fbKDM4-/
• Some highlights from my new favorite Twitter thread:
It's #BearAwarenessWeek, so we're bringing you Chicago Bears as… well, bears. 😂
A thread: pic.twitter.com/jsMb4wlxiG
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 19, 2020
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 19, 2020
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 19, 2020
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 19, 2020
• Rain boots, supplements, and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon. #ad
• For your listening pleasure:
A QB competition stuck on Zoom?
What’s next for the #Bears and Mitch Trubisky?
And remembering Michael McCaskey with @danpompei.
The latest Hoge & Jahns. https://t.co/g6aE0gpSnx
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) May 19, 2020
• This one takes me back:
https://twitter.com/flippingbats/status/1262785952294076420?s=20
• Jim Abbott was one of the most fascinating players of my childhood. His no-hitter in 1993 is something I definitely wrote about as a school assignment as a child because it was so interesting to me
• Horace Grand is mad off line:
“If anyone tries to come up and snatch my food away, I’m going to do my best to whip their ass. And believe me, I could’ve took MJ in a heartbeat." https://t.co/ZDuwmt2vGI
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 20, 2020
