NEWSLETTER
I don’t have much to say in this space beyond the minor requests of wearing a mask when asked, practice the suggested social distancing guidelines, be good to others (and yourself), and be mindful of those around you.
• One day after the NFL announced it was officially postponing Week 4’s Titans-Steelers game to a later date, we’re already talking about the Week 5 Titans-Bills matchup as being in jeopardy after more positive cases emerged in Tennessee. Yikes.
• With that being said, this is good timing to agree on this:
The NFL informed clubs today it has reached an agreement with the NFLPA to extend daily testing — and that players and coaches are not allowed to leave the city during their bye week. pic.twitter.com/j8FnrB5oF4
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 2, 2020
• It’s not all bad news:
The #Vikings had zero positive tests from Thursday’s round of COVID-19 testing, per source. Not out of the woods, but a good sign for Minnesota’s chances of playing Sunday at Houston.
Meanwhile, #Titans facility remains closed after two more new positive cases.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 2, 2020
• Over at Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio reports the NFLPA is preparing for a “thorough review” of what’s happening in Tennessee in an attempt to determine if the COVID outbreak within the Titans organization was “avoidable.” Because while Head Coach Mike Vrabel says no one is to blame for the situation, it’s apparent the Players Association doesn’t necessarily agree at this time. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be launching a review of this magnitude.
• The Bears don’t have to worry about the Titans until Week 9. So in the meantime, let’s busy ourselves with Chicago-centric action.
• You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been. That’s why I’m glad I cleared some time to check out the film review at NBC Sports Chicago, where JJ Stankevitz and Adam Hoge dive into Mitchell Trubisky’s poorly timed pick and Nick Foles’ precision execution of the Bears offense in a relief role. Indy figures to be a more formidable foe than a banged up Atlanta group, but this is where Foles’ processing is supposed to give the Bears offense a puncher’s chance. I’m looking forward to seeing how the situation shakes out.
• Someone wasn’t fond of Mitchell Trubisky’s benching:
Former Chicago Bears QB Mark Sanchez said on The Pat McAfee Show that the benching of Mitch Trubisky "was crappy" and said that if Matt Nagy's reason to bench Mitch was because of the INT then that's "BS."
Mark: “They were just looking for an excuse. You don’t do that to a QB."
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) October 1, 2020
• Unsurprisingly, Mark Sanchez — Trubisky’s ex-teammate and a known soothsayer and hype man of the Bears’ QB2 — thought it was “crappy” how the benching went down. To be fair, I don’t think there’s a non-crappy way to go about it. Pulling the band-aid off was going to hurt, no matter how it was done. But Trubisky’s play made it all the more painful when the decision needed to be made.
• I’ll miss seeing Tarik Cohen line up in the backfield. Because with Foles in the mix, I was curious as to how much more efficient Cohen’s usage would be. Instead, the Bears are angling to fill Cohen’s snaps with David Montgomery, Cordarrelle Patterson, Ryan Nall, and Artavis Pierce. It’s not going to be an easy task, with Patterson telling the team’s official site: “It’s sad to see what happened to him. We’ve just got to come out and try to take over his role. But it’s impossible because Tarik does everything. It’s going to be hard to fill his shoes.”
• Are any of Foles’ high school buddies available to lend a helping hand?
Before Halas Hall reopened for training camp, Nick Foles’ transition to Chicago began with a July throwing session with Vernon Hills High School players: “It was kind of crazy.” https://t.co/Mx4VDgPCTP
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) October 2, 2020
• It’s never too early to peek at a mock draft. The latest from Pro Football Focus has the Bears taking TCU safety Trevon Moehrig. That’s sensible on the surface level. After all, Chicago could use a cost-controlled safety to pair with Eddie Jackson while his salary grows as his extension kicks in. But recent history shows the Bears don’t take safeties high in the draft, so I don’t necessarily see a fit. But Moehrig offers some intriguing upside and potential. We’ll monitor the mock draft market as it develops.
• Also notable from PFF’s mock: Four quarterbacks go in the first round. Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance go off the board within the first seven picks. Meanwhile, Florida’s Kyle Trask slides in as QB4 and heads to the Raiders with the 15th pick. Trask could use this college football season to launch his way to the top of draft boards. Let’s keep an eye on him.
• Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller is already rounding up potential head-coaching candidates for teams who will need one next season. Among the most interesting names is Brandon Staley, who is in his first year as the Rams’ defensive coordinator. Staley coached Bears outside linebackers under Vic Fangio, but left when Fangio departed for Denver. Staley worked as an assistant in Denver before leaving for Los Angeles for coordinator duties. That he is excelling there at this point makes me wonder if the Bears missed a golden opportunity to promote from within when Fangio left.
• Our friends at BN Bulls are looking into draft stuff:
Bulls Continue to Do Their Due Diligence as the NBA Draft Conversations Heat Uphttps://t.co/h3WUUfwYWh
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) October 1, 2020
