NEWSLETTER
My McDonald’s consumption has declined in recent years, but I’m intrigued by the pending debut of Spicy Chicken McNuggets. It’s been a wild year for fast-food chicken. Wendy’s brought their own spicy chicken nuggets back to the menu. Popeyes’ spicy chicken sandwich took consumers by storm. And Culver’s chicken tenders remain underrated.
May the chicken wars continue to yield greatness!
• I’ll give him this: Mitchell Trubisky sure sounds confident. Go get ’em, #10:
(Part 1) .@Mtrubisky10 joined #GMFB to talk about the QB competition with @NickFoles, preparing for the 2020 season, @ChicagoBears fans and SO.MUCH.MORE!
"I think people can see how much I care about this team and how badly I want to win here." pic.twitter.com/EFXLKzukkP
— GMFB (@gmfb) August 21, 2020
(Part 2) .@Mtrubisky10 joined #GMFB to talk about the QB competition with @NickFoles, preparing for the 2020 season, @ChicagoBears fans and SO.MUCH.MORE!
"I think people can see how much I care about this team and how badly I want to win here." pic.twitter.com/eRv0T3YMS5
— GMFB (@gmfb) August 21, 2020
• Trubisky fired off a few good practices after he appeared on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” program Friday. Coincidence? Maybe. Or perhaps the GMFB bounce is a real thing. In any case, it’s clear that Trubisky talks a good game and has the try-hard thing going for him. I’m not sure that will be enough to push him into unquestioned QB1 status. But I don’t think it’ll hurt.
• Former Bears coach Dave Wannstedt seems to believe in Trubisky. In an interview on 670 The Score’s “Mully and Haugh Show” on Tuesday, Wannstedt said: “Mitch is the guy right now. I don’t see how Foles can do anything to unseat him going into opening week. It’s a good situation right now.” It’s worth pointing out this Brad Biggs tweet that noted Wannstedt was on hand for recent practices. So at least we know Wannstedt is speaking having had eyes on the quarterbacks. Then again, I find it difficult to make such a proclamation after a week’s worth of padded practices.
• No matter who wins the QB derby, all signs continue to point to the Bears’ long-term solution at the position being on a college campus somewhere. In the opinion of DraftWire’s Luke Easterling, that player is North Dakota State signal caller Trey Lance. Easterling predicts the Bears will select Lance with the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. On one hand, this means the Bears will have a high-ceiling quarterback prospect on a rookie-scale deal to team with a defense that still figures to be nasty. However, the Bears picking 12th overall would mean they finished in the bottom half of the standings and well out of the playoff race. But they’d still finish ahead of the Lions, so … things could be worse?
• Easterling’s mock is a three-round run that also sees the Bears taking Tennessee offensive lineman Cade Mays (44th overall) and Florida State cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (76th overall). I’m old enough to remember Asante Samuel’s dad play, which makes me feel not so good right now.
• Allen Robinson didn’t get an extension for his birthday yesterday. I’m not in panic mode yet, thanks in part to these tweets from @PFF_Brad:
Robinson knew the team was cap-strapped in the short term, and that extending him would be a great way to free up space in 2020 (that could be rolled over into 2021 as well)
He has no reason to take any sort of discount. Probably asked for Amari money, and wasn't crazy to do so
— Brad Spielberger (@PFF_Brad) August 25, 2020
Ultimately, I probably still do it. ARob is still just 27 years old and has a lot of good football ahead of him
Back in March I said team should offer ~$17.5M a year, maybe settle near $18-$18.5M a year
That number is now probably closer to $19M
Let's say $75M/4 years for now
— Brad Spielberger (@PFF_Brad) August 25, 2020
• Even if the Bears are in a tear-down mode after the 2020 season, that means they’ll be positioned to draft a quarterback in 2021. And if that’s going to be the case, you’ll probably want someone who can catch the dang ball. So with that being said, keeping Robinson should still be a priority.
• Eddie Jackson’s run as the NFL’s highest-paid safety is over:
Source: The #AZCardinals are making Budda Baker the highest paid safety in the NFL, source said. He gets a 4-year, $59M extension.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 25, 2020
• Budda Baker was one of my favorite DB prospects in the 2017 NFL Draft. And while the Bears got a darn good one, Baker is no slouch. Baker is an all-purpose contributor on defense. He has 18 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles (4 recoveries), and 14 passes defended. But Baker has yet to come up with an interception or score a defensive touchdown. In other words, the highest paid safety in football has a grand total of zero (0) interceptions.
• And to think, the likes of Justin Simmons (Broncos) and Jamal Adams (Seahawks) will soon be in the market for new deals of their own. Perhaps the Bears were smart to get ahead of the market and sign Eddie Jackson when they did.
• Some news from the Vikings:
Vikings will not have any fans in attendance for their first two home games on September 13 and September 27.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 25, 2020
• The Bears aren’t schedule to play at the Vikings until Week 15 (December 20). Things can change between now and then, but I’m not holding my breath expecting fans in the stands by then. Part of me expects some teams will try, and more power to them if they can successfully pull it off. However, I feel as if most teams will proceed with an abundance of caution this year. Nevertheless, it’s worth keeping an eye on as this year develops.
• C’mon, man:
Put some respect on my man @The_Dream99. pic.twitter.com/1YLaRSlevC
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) August 24, 2020
• Kitchen supplies, baby stuff, memory cards, and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon. They also have their big Summer Sale still going on. #ad
• Hey, we know that guy:
Welcome to the team, @Ky1eLong!https://t.co/6uskv6flpI pic.twitter.com/Ivg7XbiTsG
— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) August 24, 2020
• So much for that rumored return to the Jets!
• A firing in Philadelphia could impact the Bulls’ coaching search:
The 76ers Officially Fire Brett Brown After Seven Seasons, Which Could Impact the Bulls Search for a New Head Coachhttps://t.co/ztxCmjXjci
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) August 24, 2020
• My favorite Cubs prospect has reached top-100 status. Giggity.
