NEWSLETTER
I’ll admit that I was convinced that Matt Patricia created a burner Twitter account. But in my defense, a guy with a useless pencil in his ear had to be up to no good somewhere, right?
That Matt Patricia burner account that made all the headlines the other day? The man running has literally no connection to Patricia or the Lions. Here’s how the fake burner account came to be https://t.co/iEqwhzRFqD via @freep
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) December 3, 2020
• Selfishly, I was bummed to hear the Lions fired Patricia in the first place. After all, his defenses have made Mitchell Trubisky look GREAT. Patricia’s insistence on sticking to man coverages that Trubisky could easily diagnose, then pick apart, was borderline comical. Imagine trying to jam a square peg into a round hole for three years, only to hear the hole laugh maniacally at you because you’re too much of a doofus to place the peg in the right place. That’s what Matt Patricia vs. Mitchell Trubisky has been since 2018. Unfortunately, the Bears don’t have Patricia to bully any more.
• In addition to needing to draw up a winning game plan, Chris Emma (670 The Score) writes about how Matt Nagy’s biggest challenge moving forward is keeping the Bears from falling apart. Suffering through a five-game losing streak is hard enough. But leveling the broomstick on the defense that has carried your squad for the better part of three years as a motivational tact is bold. And by pulling that card, Nagy rolls the dice on alienating his star-studded group during its darkest hour. Sometimes, this ploy works. Other times, it turns out to be something we’d look back on as being the beginning of the end. I’m curious to see how this plays out.
• Matt Nagy might not be concerned, but I am:
#Bears coach Matt Nagy said he has "zero concern" he threw his defense under the bus with criticism of their performance vs. the Packers.
"I think they respect and understand where I'm coming from because they believe the same thing." https://t.co/goERB69LrJ
— Mark Potash (@MarkPotash) December 2, 2020
• Sometimes, I think to myself about what could’ve been if football people were as concerned about making great in-game decisions as they were about the illusion of an unquantifiable competitive advantage:
Just a reminder, for competitive advantage purposes, the Bears slow-played the announcement of their starting quarterback last week. Then they were down 41-10 at one point in that brutal loss to the Packers. It's important to remember these things.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) December 3, 2020
• I wasn’t encouraged by much in watching Bears-Packers on Sunday, but I’m glad I wasn’t alone in liking what I saw from the refurbished offensive line. Chicago’s 122 rushing yards was its most since Week 3. And while Trubisky was sacked three times and hit on seven more occasions, the new guys really held their own. Now let’s see if they can do it again.
• One of my favorite things about this job is that I learn something new every day. There’s always something that I didn’t know previously that pops onto my radar. Yesterday, it was that Cairo Santos and I have the same favorite Blink-182 song. There’s more to learn about Santos over in this piece by Nathan Smith at the Bears’ official website.
• Computers, guitars, books, and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon. #ad
• The Bears’ #MyCauseMyCleats gallery is #fireemoji:
Special cleats, special causes. 🧡#MyCauseMyCleats | #DaBears
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 2, 2020
• On and off the field, Allen Robinson is the truth:
Go to https://t.co/5NNmqvwFKl to help families in need in this troublesome time! A little help goes a long way 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/SJB1YWcq1t
— Allen Robinson II (@AllenRobinson) December 1, 2020
• Who knew you could talk to a quarterback like this? Or that the quarterback could take fair criticism in stride:
Rams QB Jared Goff on McVay's criticism: "He's absolutely right. I’m a big boy. I can handle it.”
by @gregbeacham https://t.co/jaqAV3wTpn
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) December 3, 2020
• Speaking of quarterbacks, all signs are pointing to a Bears-Jaguars showdown in which Mitchell Trubisky squares off against Mike Glennon, whose job he took back in 2017.
• You can’t teach this:
Can't get over how much of a cheat code this is. It's the NFL's step-back 3 pic.twitter.com/0S1SQSekvz
— Kevin Cole (@KevinColePFF) December 2, 2020
• While many obsess over Florida QB Kyle Trask, I can’t help but dig his teammate — tight end Kyle Pitts:
Florida’s Kyle Pitts is an NFL tight end in a college uniform. https://t.co/nfhYnJsUl2
— FiveThirtyEight (@FiveThirtyEight) December 3, 2020
• Ouch:
On pace for another stellar season with 8 sacks through 11 games as part of one of the NFL’s best sack duos, Bud Dupree will either be a free agent or be tagged again by PIT. Along with a looming ACL reconstruction, he also likely eyes another big payday. https://t.co/5fUtBwt4gC
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 3, 2020
• Go get ’em, Coby:
“I Want to be the Leader of This Team” – Coby White Is Ready to Take Over Bulls Lead Guard Dutieshttps://t.co/9cLFU6abkF
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) December 2, 2020
• Didn’t see this coming:
The Cubs have non-tendered Kyle Schwarber. https://t.co/642IiOu6qj
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) December 3, 2020
