Playoff baseball is one of my first loves. We’ll see how much I love it after today’s games end.
• ICYMI: The Bears hosted running back Lamar Miller for a visit on Wednesday. But he wasn’t alone:
#Bears list 4 running backs as guys set to come in for a tryout, including veteran Lamar Miller. pic.twitter.com/UfkuazSFrU
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) September 30, 2020
• Chicago elevated rookie Artavis Pierce to take Tarik Cohen’s spot on the active roster after Cohen landed on season-ending IR. And while Head Coach Matt Nagy might show public support for the rookie, the Bears are understandably searching the waiver wire for much-needed depth. Maybe they should’ve made a serious run at Leonard Fournette after all.
• A fun nugget I stumbled across while cross-checking Miller’s time with the Dolphins on Pro Football Reference: Bill Lazor was the offensive coordinator in Miami in 2014. That’s when Miller put up his first 1,000-yard rushing season, scored nine total touchdowns. In fact, Miller racked up 2,643 scrimmage yards and 19 total touchdowns in those two seasons. Miller averaged 4.8 yards per rush at the time. I doubt Miller can turn back the clock and be the type of back he was during his age 23 and 24 seasons, but that prior history could get him far enough to get checked out by the Bears.
• The Bears’ injury report has a bunch of names on it, but only one injury that gives me moderate concern:
#Bears Wednesday Injury Report: pic.twitter.com/fuI4R12DoE
— Chicago Bears (@BearsPR) September 30, 2020
• Seeing Sherrick McManis on the injury report is a bit bothersome. The longest-tenured active member of the Bears is a key piece of the special teams unit and a suitable nickel defender at cornerback and/or safety when needed in a pinch. However, the Bears have so much depth in the secondary that they seem equipped to battle with what they have. In the end, the most notable thing here is that Tashaun Gipson (neck), David Montgomery (wrist) and Josh Woods (ankle) were full participants despite being nicked up in their own way after Sunday’s win in Atlanta.
• Some positive news on the COVID/NFL front, mixed in with a bit of caution:
Minnesota isn't in the clear yet but inching closer to it.
Head ATC Eric Sugarman yesterday: "It seems like the sweet spot for a positive is between days three and five. So Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday are critical days for us." https://t.co/VQHxw82oqv
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) October 1, 2020
• I’ll feel better about the Bears’ encounter with the Falcons (who had their own COVID case late last week) once Saturday rolls around. Getting through that 3-5 day period without a positive test would be the best development to happen this week. One of the biggest concerns going into this season was transmission of the virus from one team to another. If that hurdle can get cleared, football on-lookers will breathe a sigh of relief.
• No one better question Tashaun Gipson’s Mavericks fandom. Because if you can’t randomly name-drop Robert Pack, then you’re not a real fan. More from the Bears safety (whose INT secured the Bears’ 3-0 start) via the team’s official site.
• If you’re not familiar with Joe’s quarterback threads, this is a good place to start:
Foles QB Thread – Week 3: My eval of Foles vs Trubisky will be different. I'm looking for specific things with each guy based on style/strengths.
Trubisky: Accuracy, processing/reads, athleticism
Foles: Placement to playmakers, checks/kills at the line, identifying 1 on 1's
— Joe Tidei (@JoeyProspects) September 30, 2020
• Speaking of quarterbacks, the Colts released Chad Kelly from their practice squad to re-sign Krishawn Hogan. Where one might see a player set to embark on the journey of free agency, I see an opportunity for the Bears to sign a player who used to be with their next opponent and a chance to gather all the information about their game plan that can be picked from an ex-player’s brain.
• I miss Eddie Goldman:
Since the start of the 2017 season, the #Bears have only allowed six run plays of 35+ yards – including Brian Hill's 35-yarder on Sunday. This list is wild. Two chunk runs in a game that didn't matter in 2019, one forced fumble (recovered by Eddie Goldman), none in 2018. pic.twitter.com/UPPU4i82Aq
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) October 1, 2020
• Good luck throwing outside against Jaylon Johnson and Kyle Fuller:
Opposing QBs have a 67.4 passer rating when throwing at Bears rookie CB Jaylon Johnson, 32.2 when throwing at CB Kyle Fuller and 83.9 when throwing at CB Buster Skrine, per Football Reference.
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) October 1, 2020
• Oh, look — another player getting a contract extension whose name isn’t Allen Robinson:
For the #Ravens and CB Marlon Humphrey, he gets $19.5M per year, source said. He gets $66M in total guaranteed. https://t.co/tQlLDvSsMF
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 1, 2020
Officially official.
Congrats, @marlon_humphrey ❗️❗️ pic.twitter.com/JDmVF7Lm0b
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 1, 2020
2020 has been a lucrative year for cornerbacks, including: Jalen Ramsey (five-years, $105M), Marlon Humphrey (five-years, $98.75M), Byron Jones (five-years, $82.5M), Tre’Davious White (four-years, $70M), Darius Slay (three-years, $50.05M). https://t.co/2XI22J5VLa
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 1, 2020
• Look who’s back …
“I’m back.”
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) October 1, 2020
• … and with content, too:
“This is Not a Rebuild:” Bulls GM Marc Eversley Sounds Confident About the Team’s Futurehttps://t.co/SW0b05GIek
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) October 1, 2020