This is pure, 100 percent magic …
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1265275933738631168?s=20
… and I am very much here for it!
• Khalil Mack is a one-man wrecking crew whose feats of strength will make your team re-think its spending habits:
In this quick 23-second clip from @thecheckdown, Khalil Mack wrecked more than $180 million worth of offensive linemen. pic.twitter.com/rVd04T3fmi
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) May 28, 2020
• In order of appearance in the video above: Nate Solder ($62M), Mike Remmers ($2.5M), Kevin Zeitler ($60M), Jon Halapio ($645K), and Riley Reiff ($58.75M). That’s $183.895M in offensive linemen who get absolutely shredded by Mack. That’s mind-blowing.
• Think about it. Teams build around rushing the quarterback and protecting the quarterback. Imagine being the Giants who are paying the freight on more than $120 million worth of offensive linemen, only to watch Mack bulldoze his way through them, tossing players around like a dog’s chew toy. I don’t know about you, but it would certainly make me re-think things. No wonder the Giants took three offensive linemen within their first five picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.
• I’m surprised no Bears made Marc Sessler’s All-Under-25 Team, but a disappointing season from the team probably kept any candidates from being seriously considered. Offensive lineman James Daniels had a down year as he moved to center to start the year, then back to left guard when things weren’t working out. Running back David Montgomery showed flashes, but a lack of consistency from start to finish likely kept him from being seriously considered. Linebacker Roquan Smith probably should have made the cut, but an injury-shortened 2019 season likely dropped him behind Colts linebacker Bobby Okereke.
• I thought Eddy Piñeiro was left off the list because he didn’t make the age requirements because he turns 25 in September. But Sessler’s requirements asked for players who were 25 before the season kicked off on September 10. Piñeiro doesn’t turn 25 until the 13th, so I’m miffed that he was left off the list. The guy was successful on 82.1 percent of his kicks and made two game-winners. Meanwhile, Joey Slye, who turned 24 in April, made the team despite having a lower success rate (78.1 percent) than Piñeiro. What gives?
• If there really isn’t a better under-25 kicker out there than Slye, then perhaps teams are better off going for two-point conversions after all.
• This NFL 2020 prediction piece at Complex has some #takes regarding the NFC North’s forecast. The piece’s author says the Packers “may have been the weakest 13-3 team in NFL history,” lauds the Vikings offseason (despite trading Stefon Diggs to Buffalo and losing other key contributors in free agency), and has the Bears going 4-12 (despite what the author describes as a still elite defense).
• I’ve lost count of the number of re-drafts that have been shared online this offseason. But I must say they just keep getting weirder. I mean, imagine had Tony Romo – a quarterback from Eastern Illinois of Division I-AA – gone first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft? Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon takes his shot at re-doing that draft with this look-back. And don’t worry, Bears fan. Chicago still lands a stud in this draft, taking Charles Tillman with the 13th overall pick. Lance Briggs, who went in the third round of the real draft, went 12th overall to the Rams — one pick before Tillman.
• There’s always more to know about people than what is provided on the surface:
Many Chicagoans knew former Michael McCaskey only as the former Bears chairman.
But one writer recalls McCaskey's love for Ethiopia, cultivated during his time there as a Peace Corps volunteer.https://t.co/VtJ3fvLdgW
— Chicago Tribune Sports (@ChicagoSports) May 27, 2020
• If the Aaron who has dominated for more than a decade isn’t assured to retire as a member of the Packers, what chance does the one who is his running back running mate have?
Packers running back Aaron Jones says he wants to remain in Green Bay for his entire career and that he won’t let speculation about his future distract him as he enters the final season of his contract.
by @stevemegargeehttps://t.co/VhzbAuvvFp
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) May 27, 2020
• Elsewhere in the NFC North, Dave Birkett (Detroit Free Press) reports the Lions are turning return specialist Jamal Agnew into a receiver. Agnew played cornerback previously and is a few years from earning first-team All-Pro honors as a returner in 2017. Detroit already has talented receivers in Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. on the outside. And with Danny Amendola in the slot, I’m not exactly sure where Agnew fits beyond being a gimmick receiver. Perhaps the Lions will use him in a way the Patriots used Cordarrelle Patterson in 2018. Conveniently enough, that would be how I would hope the Bears use Patterson in 2020.
• The people want SkyJudge! So give the people what they want:
So having talked to a couple of guys on the committees, the SkyJudge proposals as they were written were pulled in favor of this recommendation from the competition committee. It, in essence, is a SkyJudge.
If it works in preseason, they could implement it for the 2020 season. pic.twitter.com/vmD6PzxefA
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) May 27, 2020
• Toys, supplements, and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon. #ad
• Lauri Markkanen reminds me of any number of young Bears who has athleticism, talent, upside, and potential, but has yet to put it all together:
Sounds Like Lauri Markkanen is Open to an Extension – Should Bulls Reciprocate?https://t.co/qIFJZVFTTa
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 27, 2020
• Perhaps I should be willing to come off my pro-DH stance:
https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1265350469301309440?s=20
• Brett always keeps his promises:
I, @Brett_A_Taylor, hate and love all of you for this. Never promise anything. pic.twitter.com/kTCtVpV84s
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) May 27, 2020