The Bears QB1 Is Totally Going to Be Nick Foles … Unless It’s Mitchell Trubisky (And Other Bears Bullets)

Finally, some good news from the land of the Bulls:

And There It Is: The Chicago Bulls Have Fired Jim Boylenhttps://t.co/q8FiyeZ5gU

— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) August 14, 2020

This is where the fun begins, Bulls fans. So make sure to follow our friends at BN Bulls for more basketball goodness.

•   One month from today, we’ll be in this space breaking down the Bears’ Week 1 performance against the Lions. That is, of course, if all goes to plan. Wear masks. Practice social distancing. Wash your hands. Wash everything! Create a Bubble of friends who are as responsible as you. Do well by others. And let’s prepare to watch some football.

•   Who quarterbacks the Bears in Week 1 remains a mystery. Ideally, what happens in the 15 padded practices that begin on Monday will lead Chicago to make the right decision on whether Mitchell Trubisky or Nick Foles will start. Until then, we really don’t know who’s The Guy. And frankly, no one does. Maybe that’s the beauty of the thing?

•   FWIW: ESPN’s Field Yates doesn’t think the battle between Trubisky and Foles is all that close. “I think it’s Nick Foles,” Yates said on a recent appearance of the My SportsUpdate podcast.”I know they’re saying all the things about Mitch Trubisky having a leg up because having been there and done that, and in this unique offseason, he kinda has the advantage, I actually don’t think it’s close. I would be very surprised if Nick Foles is not the starting quarterback going into the season.” The Bears made a significant investment to acquire Foles, so it’s tough to reconcile making that kind of commitment for a player who will be QB2. The lines of thinking just don’t add up.

•   On the other hand, it’s totally going to be Trubisky. At least, that’s what Michael Lombardi (The Athletic) believes. Although, he doesn’t sound convinced it will be because of Trubisky’s own doing. “The Bears have too much to lose in starting Foles,” Lombardi explains. “They will completely lose Trubisky mentally. Plus, Foles has never been an effective opening-day starter. He is better in a relief role, coming off the bench. … Why change it now?”

•   Why change it now? Is this something Lombardi is asking hypothetically? Because last fall, he encouraged the Bears to trade for a quarterback to capitalize on this competitive window. “To some this might appear as a short-term panic move, yet in reality, it’s a long-term “save the franchise and coach move.” Lombardi opined that if the Bears didn’t make a trade, that Nagy would lose his job within a year and the team wouldn’t reach its potential. He would go on to make a pitch for Foles, adding that doing so would allow the team to “keep Foles on with Trubisky as the backup.” So as recently as last fall, Lombardi envisioned a scenario in which Foles was a starter and Trubisky was his backup. So … why change it now?

•   Anthony Miller chimed in on the quarterback happenings:

Bears WR Anthony Miller on what he wants in a quarterback: "I just want a guy that takes control, and makes the right decisions when its time for him to make it, and a guy who is a leader."

— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) August 14, 2020

Anthony Miller on Nick Foles: "You can definitely tell that Nick has been playing this game for a long time and he knows this offense very well." #Bears

— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) August 14, 2020

•   When it’s on, the Trubisky-Miller connection is fun to watch. But inconsistency on both ends has made those flash moments too few and far between. Without diving too deep into it, Chicago’s pass-catchers will ultimately decide who wins the competition. If Trubisky struggles with consistency (as he did in camp last year) and receivers click with Foles in practice, the decision will be easy to make. And if that’s what happens, then at least someone with a rapport is backing up.

•   On the other hand, if Trubisky wins, then it’s good to know that someone with a vast knowledge of the offense (and good experience operating within it) is sitting as QB2. It’s a win-win.

•   Everybody loves A-Rob:

.@AnthonyMiller_3 on @AllenRobinson: "He means a lot to this team. He’s one of those leaders that we need on this team. He’s not very vocal but he leads by example.”

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 14, 2020

#Bears Anthony Miller said he learned how how to be attentive to every detail from Allen Robinson. Miller also went on to say that Robinson is always focused on the small details.

— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) August 14, 2020

•   This is encouraging to read:

Allen Robinson said he worked out with rookie WR Darnell Mooney over the summer in Florida. "I think he can be a great asset to our team. … He has a great grasp of the offense. He's coming along really fast."

— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) August 14, 2020

•   The guys on the other side of the ball are built differently:

https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/1294090117775101953?s=20

•   Fire take:

Better current QB options for the Bears than Mitch Trubisky: 1) Nick Foles; 2) Jim McMahon; 3) Mike Tomczak; 4) this sweatshirt with Mike Tomczak on it that Jim McMahon is wearing. pic.twitter.com/MeZnpSqKOs

— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) August 13, 2020

•   Where will Mason Fine fit on the list above?

Locust Grove grad @Masonfine09 told me today he's been given the opportunity to try out with the @ChicagoBears next week.

The all time leading passer at North Texas (@MeanGreenFB) and in #OKPreps history is working as a volunteer assistant coaching QBs at Pawhuska right now. pic.twitter.com/CNxZ1vjJCc

— Cayden McFarland (@caydenmc) August 13, 2020

•   For your listening pleasure:

I did a #Bears Training Camp preview with @BryanPerezNFL. We talked about Mitch vs Foleshttps://t.co/rS4tGcuHTo

— Laurence Holmes (@LaurenceWHolmes) August 14, 2020

•   Tight end market is changing:

Top 10 TE deals in new money per-year average:

-> 1) Kittle: $15M
-> 2) Kelce: $14.3M
3) Hunter Henry: $10.6M (tag)
4) Austin Hooper: $10.5M
5) Kyle Rudolph: $9.025M
6) Rob Gronkowski: $9M
7) Zach Ertz: $8.5M
8) Jimmy Graham: $8M
9) Jared Cook: $7.5M
10) Darren Waller: $7.4M

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) August 13, 2020

•   OH:

WSJ: "The minority partners of Washington’s NFL team are pressuring Dan Snyder to sell the franchise…Snyder has no intention to sell his majority stake in the team.https://t.co/HhJFx9KxRU

— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) August 13, 2020

•   Hey! Another notable extension:

And now another big deal today:

Bills’ standout left tackle Dion Dawkins and Buffalo reached agreement on a four-year, $60 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN.

The deal ties Dawkins to Buffalo, and protecting Josh Allen’s blindside, through the 2024 season.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 13, 2020

•   Good stuff from the Staffords:

Lions QB Matthew Stafford and wife Kelly, along with Georgia HC Kirby Smart and his wife Mary Beth, have endowed $500k to a social justice program supporting UGA student athletes. Both the Staffords and the Smarts were student athletes at Georgia. pic.twitter.com/8xTAvr2nnQ

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 14, 2020