NEWSLETTER
There are few things I enjoy as much as a DQ blizzard to cap summer night. No, that wasn’t an #ad. But if DQ wants to slide into my DMs, they’re open.
• The NFL’s quarterbacks have an “it” factor. Some call it swag. Others call it pizzazz. But whatever you call it, Justin Fields has it in spades:
https://twitter.com/BN_Bears/status/1433431138899398663
• Also … I’m vibing with Fields when it comes to music. There is something about how the right song can instantly change your mood. Just like there is something about how the right quarterback can change the vibe in a locker room, on the field, and within a fan base. The mere move to trade up to draft Fields last spring moved the needle so much for the Bears and their fans. And I can’t wait to feel those feelings again whenever Fields makes his way onto the Soldier Field turf.
• You don’t even want to know what Andy Dalton’s numbers would look like without this play:
The #Bears cut WR Rodney Adams, this is after he made the initial 53-man roster.
Adams made plays for the Bears throughout the pre-season.pic.twitter.com/I2mI2lam4r
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 1, 2021
• But now that you’re thinking about it, here you go: 12/20, 91 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 50.2 passer rating.
• With the Adams 73-yard TD, it bumps to 13/21, 164 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, and a more respectable 82.2 passer rating. Yeesh! That receiver falling down ahead of that interception cost Dalton 20 points on his passer rating. Because if that pass falls harmlessly incomplete, it’s a 102.1 passer rating for Dalton. It would’ve been an underwhelming number based on the production and the eye test. But it would at least look better.
• As for Adams, don’t get it twisted. I know the 53-player is fluid as heck this time of year. But I thought Adams’ summertime play merited a roster spot. Maybe I’m foolish. Wouldn’t be the first time someone called me that. And I’ve been called worse. It just must be difficult to put in that work, take that climb, conquer those challenges, make the team, and then find yourself on waivers 24 hours later. Football is a cold, cold business sometimes. If it is any consolation for Adams’ newest fans, he is likely lands on the Bears’ practice squad later today. There *ARE* three available spots, after all.
• The Bears haven’t officially announced the Breshad Perriman addition just yet. But whenever it happens, you’ll be thankful that Quinten Krzysko – a.k.a. Butkus Stats – unearthed this:
Breshad Perriman was drafted with pick 26 of round 1 in the 2015 draft class. He scored a 9.95 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 7 out of 1295 WR from 1987 to 2015.
New #Lions receiver, adds a lot of speed but has durability issues.https://t.co/KsBvg8uzec #RAS pic.twitter.com/9Yifr4t0hy
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 20, 2021
• Once the move becomes officially official, the Perriman signing will merit some deeper dives (based on prospect pedigree alone). And while I don’t have delusions of grandeur when it comes to the move, it is nice to see the Bears target (and sign!) a player whose game is highlighted by speed and versatility. Adding potentially solid depth is always good. Maybe there is some post-hype sleeper magic with a(nother) change of scenery. It’s why they play the games, right?
• The answer here *COULD* be the Bears (if everything clicks):
The second-best team in the NFC North is…. https://t.co/bQNPcnnJWQ
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) September 2, 2021
• If the Bears make the playoffs for the third time in four years, then they better be in this game again:
.@Nickelodeon will produce another version of a kids-focused NFL Wild Card Playoff game, and the network’s execs are negotiating with the NFL for even more rights, CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus said yesterday.
Free to read: https://t.co/nmdWHJTvs3
✍️ @Ourand_SBJ pic.twitter.com/XJuOF1zckH— Sports Business Journal (@sbjsbd) September 2, 2021
• Still got roster-churn fever? Kristopher Knox (B/R) has a run-down of the nine best available free agents.
• It might come through gritted teeth, but Jordan Howard going from starting on a playoff team to landing on Philly’s practice squad should have Bears fans admitting GM Ryan Pace did the right thing in trading him when he did. The career arc of a running back is wild — and painfully short.
• Chris Ballard, who was the runner-up to Ryan Pace in the Bears GM search in 2015, believes there are “consequences” for players unvaccinated against COVID-19, per ESPN’s Mike Wells. That’s an awfully strong statement to make, but one I imagine Ballard felt he had to make with key players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and a team that reportedly has one of the lowest percentages of vaccinated players in the NFL.
• Laptops, toys, ring lights, and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon. #ad
• Hockey is coming:
Oh, Hi Marc https://t.co/Dh1WJjHnHF
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) September 2, 2021
• I’m not sure if it is the ultimate sign of respect or another level of complaining, but the Cardinals had umpires check Nick Castellanos’ bat after hit a grand slam off of them in yesterday’s game.
• Back off, rival teams! He is OURS:
Opposing Front Office Sharks Are Still Circling Zach LaVinehttps://t.co/SIM6DTNyJn pic.twitter.com/QdlG1bT76e
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) September 1, 2021
