NEWSLETTER
I admit to being the highly impressionable type, but I didn’t buy a box of Wheaties because it came up on conversation with Brett yesterday. Sure, it helped. But also … I was craving Wheaties and was out of cereal. All Brett provided was the final nudge.
• If it were up to me, I would’ve flexed the Bears-Jaguars Week 16 game into primetime. Let the Mike Glennon-Mitchell Trubisky showdown get the shine it deserves. Instead, the game has moved from FOX to CBS. It’s a missed opportunity for the NFL to showcase the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft in a grudge-match game against the quarterback he replaced. But hey, what do I know?
• Last night’s Browns-Ravens game will have to suffice as the Game of the Year until we get Glennon-Trubisky in Week 16. In case you missed it, the ending was wild and unpredictable:
https://twitter.com/Ravens/status/1338719981329125377
LET'S
FREAKING
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Tune in: https://t.co/duomvuhT6t pic.twitter.com/fnjDgSOSlk
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 15, 2020
https://twitter.com/Browns/status/1338703935834566657
https://twitter.com/Ravens/status/1338705927843835905
https://twitter.com/BN_Bears/status/1338841876431052806
• Imagine losing a wager because of *this* play:
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) December 15, 2020
• You can’t make this 💩 up:
A bidet company has reached out to Lamar Jackson, offering to install one of its devices in the Ravens’ locker room. pic.twitter.com/8Kq6DDwJve
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) December 15, 2020
• SCORIGAMI:
Score Update:
BAL 47 – 42 CLE
FinalThat's Scorigami!! It's the 1061st unique final score in NFL history.
— Scorigami (@NFL_Scorigami) December 15, 2020
• I can’t get enough of this:
— Ⓜ️arcusD ▶️ (@_MarcusD3_) December 14, 2020
• Can you glue a .gif to your eyelids? Because Akiem Hicks is just ridiculous. Watch what he does to the blocker on his way to wrecking a ball-carrier. My goodness!
• In a hypothetical situation in which the NFL adds an expansion team and the Bears had to protect 10 players, Akiem Hicks would definitely be on the list. But what about Cairo Santos? On an offense that has struggled to put up points, the only player who scores with any consistency is the place-kicker. Santos has made 18 consecutive field goals, improving his success rate to 91.3 percent. The Bears don’t have a kicker under contract for 2021. And while the decision between Santos and Eddy Piñeiro might be difficult on the surface, Santos’ success is above and beyond what was expected. I think he’s a keeper.
• Jeff Hughes (Da Bears Blog) tries to put the Bears’ offensive outburst into proper context.
• The hope is that Head Coach Matt Nagy has turned a corner in his play-calling. And that a re-shuffled offensive line has aided in improved execution after a(nother) quarterback change. But I see the Bears putting up numbers against the Packers, Lions, and Texans — all of whom are in the bottom half of Football Outsiders’ DVOA rankings — and find myself hoping this isn’t just a product of beating up on bad defenses. Because, let’s be real, we’ve seen Nagy’s offense do that against sub-par groups. Remember the Cowboys game last year? Even though that unit ranked well in traditional metrics, the advanced metrics didn’t like Dallas’ defense. And after seeing what Nagy’s offense did, I can see why.
• Whether you’re buying or selling the Bears’ offensive improvement, it’s good to see young players grow individually. Nicholas Moreano (Chicago Audible) highlights the progress in Cole Kmet’s development. It all began with Kmet getting an increase in playing time, but it didn’t stop there. More usage on passing routes between the 20s in addition to an increased snap share has led to more production from the rookie tight end. With Jimmy Graham’s offensive snaps taking a back seat to Kmet getting in on the action, we could be witnessing a changing of the guard at tight end.
• Speaking of positive developments:
Only thing to be grateful for in 2020… https://t.co/NguxtYDhr9 pic.twitter.com/TGu9L2PZm4
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) December 15, 2020
• Great question, Anthony Miller:
https://twitter.com/AnthonyMiller_3/status/1338613856525045762
• Pajamas, garbage disposals, books, and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon. #ad
• Remembering a sports media pioneer:
Jeannie Morris had a size 5 1/2 foot. You could have fit thousands of her feet into the footprint she left on the world. My farewell to the First Lady of Chicago sports journalism. https://t.co/VkmR4F98jX
— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) December 14, 2020
Jeannie Morris, Chicago author and pioneering sports broadcaster, died Monday morning. She was 85. https://t.co/jwnDE3nc3a
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) December 14, 2020
Jeannie Morris, who became the first woman to report live from the Super Bowl in 1975, passed away at the age of 85.
https://t.co/qu2aeJkmsF— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) December 15, 2020
• I love seeing the new coach gassing up returning players whose confidence was likely shattered by the previous regime:
Billy Donovan Is All-Aboard the Wendell Carter Jr. Hype Trainhttps://t.co/JgV9Fw6c81
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) December 14, 2020
