The Bulls Are the Blueprint? And Other Bears Bullets

New Taylor Swift music hitting my ears this morning was such a delight.

•   What a day for the Chicago Bulls:

•   I couldn’t look at the Bulls’ Thursday movement without viewing it through the prism of what’s happening with the Bears. Looking at what the Bulls did serves as a reminder of why we, as fans, want change in the first place. Over at the United Center, we’re seeing what it looks like when fresh eyes get set on old problems. And what happens when new ideas are infused into an organization running on the treadmill of mediocrity. Most importantly, it appears as if the Bulls have (1) a plan, (2) the means of executing it, and (3) approval from ownership without top-level meddling. I never thought I’d write this sentence, but here I am: George McCaskey could learn a thing or two from the Reinsdorfs.

•   Begrudgingly, I have to hand it to Michael Reinsdorf. He saw a flailing product, an avenue to making changes, and took that path. Out with the old, in with the new. Maybe instead of kicking around ideas with fellow old-head NFL owners, perhaps Mr. McCaskey can lean on someone he shares a city with on how to get  out of this current rut. Hey, this could be one of those can’t hurt, could help situations. But you’ll never know unless you ask.

•   The Bulls are a work in progress, to be sure. But there is a plan and a process, which has me excited to see how it plays out.

•   And if you don’t want to dive into the basketball world and take that advice, maybe listen to this from Alabama football coach Nick Saban:

•   Can someone *PLEASE* forward this message over to Halas Hall?

•   I’m so over the Andy Dalton discourse:

•   Sometimes these pundits get really close to making good points. And they just don’t seal the deal. Ironically, it’s EXACTLY what the Bears offense does.

•   There are times when this all runs together, so I forget who it was who said “you can’t just force someone to give you their QB.” Which, naturally, is an angle too many of these analysts seem to forget when it comes to making trades. It takes two to tango. I realize the value and importance of making the bold point loudly. But to do so without perspective and balance is wrong at a basic level of sharing insight and information.

•   As for the Dalton signing, sure, I’ll level with you and call it uninspiring. But there wasn’t a free agent out there who would make fans go: “Yep, that QB situation is settled. Super Bowl, here we come!” Ryan Fitzpatrick would’ve been fun. Big beard, big arm, and big energy would’ve brought a bit of a buzz. But you can get only so excited for a 38-year-old journeyman quarterback. Were you getting excited for Jameis Winston? Or hearing the Bears justify that signing? Trading for Gardner Minshew wasn’t turning heads. Neither was acquiring Marcus Mariota. A one-year stop gap isn’t the best solution. But it’s one that gets us one step closer to the Bears realizing they are in the same position the Bulls were in at this time last year.

•   Wait … are the Bulls the new blueprint?

•   Some contract details:

•   The artist renderings here are interesting to me:

•   Art is cool:

written by

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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