NEWSLETTER
The sun is shining and temperatures for first pitch are predicted to be in the low 80s. It’s the MLB Opening Day I’ve always always dreamed about. Better late than never!
Good luck to our friends at Bleacher Nation Cubs. Bring home a title. And if you see anyone with potential to spend their offseason quarterbacking the Bears, kindly slide into our DMs.
• The Bears are coming. Here’s what they’ll have to deal with:
From talking to folks close to the #Bears and players, here is how things hope to unfold in the coming days at Halas Hall, at least my understanding.
– Rookies reported earlier this week. (See those signings.) There was COVID-19 testing, of course, and there will be more.
1/3
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) July 24, 2020
I want to clarify this tweet below, which I'm going to delete soon to avoid confusion.
Saturday should be viewed as a starting point-like day for the #Bears with vets reporting and testing beginning.
After that, there are NFLPA/NFL testing protocols to follow. https://t.co/7jCxqIF8KV
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) July 24, 2020
– Of course, this is all fluid, especially at the individual level because of the potential of positive tests. There will be quarantines.
– I think the expectation is that there will be positive tests, especially given the surge in states that some players are coming from.
3/3
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) July 24, 2020
• Yesterday, we discussed how this time of year presents opportunities for optimism. But in the interest of fairness, honesty, and reality, there are reasons to be concerned about the 2020 Bears:
If @adamjahns made you feel optimistic about the 2020 Bears yesterday, well … Happy Friday! https://t.co/gICJX4AIWz
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) July 24, 2020
• Where Adam Jahns offered a beacon of light, his teammate at The Athletic, Kevin Fishbain explains why it’s OK to be concerned about the Bears in 2020. I am not in a position to tell you how to be a fan. And even if I was, that’s not my style. I certainly have my concerns regarding the 2020 Bears. And judging by my interactions with many of you fine folks on social media, you have them, too. That’s OK. It’s perfectly normal. Save for the Chiefs – and maybe the Ravens – every team in football has a laundry list of concerns going into 2020. So it’s not like the Bears are alone here.
• It starts at quarterback, where concerns are valid. Both Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles have flashed. And if they do so in training camp against this defense, I’ll feel good about this team’s chances. However, both have had moments that leave me wondering if Foles and Trubisky are even worthy of duking it out for QB supremacy.
• I’d be lying to you if I didn’t think about the possibility of neither quarterback being worthy of the job. But since that takes us down a wormhole I’m not ready to explore now, we can move on.
• Concerns about the offense don’t end at quarterback. Are the skill positions better than they were at the end of last year? Adding Ted Ginn Jr. and Darnell Mooney bring much-needed speed, but will Riley Ridley or Javon Wims step up to complement Allen Robinson II? Is 2020 Jimmy Graham a true upgrade from Trey Burton? Can Cole Kmet buck the trend of rookie tight ends who fight a losing battle against the learning curve? Shouldn’t there be more than two reliable running back options? I could go on, but I won’t.
• Ultimately, I still find myself more optimistic than pessimistic about this season. I acknowledge the potential pitfalls, but also can’t pull myself away from the upside on the horizon. An 8-8 season should be viewed as the floor for this team. If the offense sputters and injuries slow the squad down, they should still be well-positioned to finish at or slightly above .500. But if the offense emerges from the depths of football hell, and the injury bug doesn’t bite down too hard, then the ceiling is the roof as far as this group is concerned.
• The Bears tight ends room has one fewer member after releasing Ben Braunecker on Thursday. There is never a “good” time to be released, but getting cut shortly after getting engaged (during the middle of a pandemic) is rough. Best of wishes to Braunecker and his family, and here’s to him Braunecker landing on his feet elsewhere sooner, rather than later.
• Also worth noting is that Braunecker was a Molecular and Cellular Biology major at Harvard, which made him a go-to source in March when the COVID-19 pandemic changed the sports landscape forever. This set of Bullets from March feels like it happened ages ago.
• In an attempt to make an educated guess at what the Bears’ tight ends depth chart will look like in Week 1, I’ll throw it out there that I can see the team carrying 4-5 tight ends. Jimmy Graham, Cole Kmet, and Demetrius Harris are virtual locks. Things get tricky after that trio. Does J.P. Holtz fit as a tight end/fullback/H-back hybrid? Is Jesper Horsted the backup “U” behind Graham? Will Adam Shaheen make it to the end of camp? Can Eric Saubert or Darion Clark do anything to make the cut? So many questions … none of which can be answered during the preseason (because there is no preseason).
• What’s your guess?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CC_jhQDjmKK/
• Knowing Madden’s wonky ratings system, mine is 83.
• Change is coming to Washington:
Washington Football Team headquarters looking different in a hurry: The equipment staff removed the old logo from all 90 lockers this morning, I’m told. A new day.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 24, 2020
Ron Rivera told us that the team has talked about having a yard sale of old Redskins gear/clothes and give the dough to charity.
— Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) July 24, 2020
• Something to listen to:
https://twitter.com/TheAthleticCHI/status/1286411285962334210?s=20
• I guess I’m glad Frank Gore can laugh about this:
https://twitter.com/frankgore/status/1286478413281349632?s=20
• This is a tough look for ex-Bears OC (and current Jets head coach) Adam Gase:
EXCLUSIVE: Jamal Adams opens up about a surreal offseason.
An inexperienced GM, an absentee head coach and a web of bizarre broken promises that fractured trust between the Jets and their All-Pro safety.
Story: https://t.co/b8fBTuImYV pic.twitter.com/45ucPFpmtT
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) July 24, 2020
• If Adam Gase thought getting the best of Jay Cutler was a challenge, managing this Jets locker room will make that look like a walk in the park.
• This entire situation is worth monitoring:
A sample schedule for the start of training camp sent by one team to its veterans. Strange times, indeed. pic.twitter.com/s3XqqUWDGz
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 23, 2020
