NEWSLETTER
Season 3 of HBO’s Succession gets an Oct. 17 premiere date. Which means I have about a month to binge-watch Season 2. Wish me luck!
• Looking ahead to next week’s game because you want to get SNF’s bitter taste out of your mouth? That’s cool. Just know you aren’t alone:
The Bears will host the Bengals in their home opener, where Chicago is early 2.5-point favorites in Week 2. https://t.co/qupkW2F3eu
— BearsWire (@TheBearsWire) September 14, 2021
• The Bears are a 3-point favorite (+100) against the Bengals for the Soldier Field home-opener, per the DraftKings Sports Book. Now that we’re squared away there, let’s give wagering terms some real-life application. Rule of thumb is home teams get 3 points just for being at home. In other words, the oddsmakers believe there is no different between the Bengals and Bears — to the point this game would be a toss-up if it took place at a neutral site. Oddsmakers are also giving the Bears a 42.6 percent chance to win, based on the implied odds of being a -155 money line favorite. It’s jarring to see Chicago’s football team as a favorite against a Cincinnati squad that just beat a Bears divisional rival.”
• Hope springs eternal for Andy Dalton:
Andy Dalton finds optimism in Bears' loss to Rams after NFC North goes 0-4: "We're still in the same position"https://t.co/cPW7A2XZex pic.twitter.com/4qmRMePakr
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) September 13, 2021
• You’re telling me! If I didn’t know better, I’d see four 0-1 teams in the NFC North and think that the Bears could do some surprising things had they properly addressed offseason issues in the secondary or along the offensive line. And I suppose they could still do so if they put aside their egos and hubris, then got out of their own way. As a person, I can respect Dalton’s perspective. In that “leader of men” role, you have to be someone who can spin a negative into a positive. But I’m already afraid this could get exhausting.
• Speaking of exhausting, re-watching this Bears game is going to be a treat — isn’t it?
I’m not really a big WR screen guy to begin with (probably from watching the Bears try to do it over the years), but asking 175-pound Damiere Byrd to block 208-pound, All-Pro DB Jalen Ramsey seems … not ideal? pic.twitter.com/38uZjGPT05
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) September 14, 2021
• Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton already has the panic meter out for teams around the NFL. Because while Dalton can keep hope alive, it is troubling how the Bears won the time of possession battle and still lost by 20 points. A combination of defensive breakdowns, pass-game predictability from the offense, and a general stubbornness from Matt Nagy all add up to the Bears landing on high alert end of the panic meter scale.
• On the other side of the coin, Nagy says he isn’t panicking about the defensive slow start. “Overall, I’d say the biggest theme for us would be ‘No panic’ and just understand that this was Sean’s first game calling [plays] and this was our first game of 2021 and we understand that that’s not good enough,” Nagy said, via Mark Potash of the Sun-Times. “We want to focus on any of the positives that we’re out there. That’s why I think we all believe in one another, and now we get another chance this weekend.” On the one hand, it is good that Nagy can find hope and keep an even temperament in the wake of a blowout loss in front of a nationally televised audience. But on the other hand, at what point does this wear off? You can say this kind of stuff for only so long before it becomes disingenuous.
• Seriously, what was this ridiculousness?
Make em beat you. Don’t beat yourself DBs! #EverythingDB @Everything_DB pic.twitter.com/aCIN2aCZ24
— Darius Butler (@DariusJButler) September 13, 2021
• All in all, this could not have been timed worse for Nagy:
Chicago Bears HC Matt Nagy is in a McDonald's ad.
(Video via @McDonalds) pic.twitter.com/53fHYdZkyf
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) September 13, 2021
• So, um, who do I have to shake down to get something like this built for the Bears within Chicago’s city limits?
$2 billion well-spent pic.twitter.com/c3Sa5unB56
— Las Vegas Locally 🌴 (@LasVegasLocally) September 13, 2021
• The Raiders-Ravens MNF game was the embodiment of the Las Vegas experience. You don’t know what you did, why you did it, or what it cost. But you remember having a good time while doing it. And all while Ty’Son Williams and Darren Waller were putting fantasy teams on their backs and Derek Carr mounting a comeback, the Manning Bros. stole the show on ESPN2. The ManningCast debut was as refreshing treat, as it was nice to hear constructive and honest criticism of coaching and officiating — in real time! — without being over-the-top about it.
Peyton Manning says Raiders gonna be 6-11 off the first play pic.twitter.com/Y5x29z7e1l
— Alex. (@dubs4o8) September 14, 2021
Peyton was disgusted with that Raiders run call on third down pic.twitter.com/xmEoIhYjOR
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 14, 2021
Peyton Manning: "Don't throw it to the ref! They can't catch!"😂🏈 pic.twitter.com/RG9mQMVAqI
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 14, 2021
The Manning brothers provided some AMAZING commentary on MNF all game long! 🍿
They'll be back at it again on ESPN+ next Monday. @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/CyhOf7ZcCS
— ESPN (@espn) September 14, 2021
• And the cameos were great, too:
Eli Manning asks Travis Kelce about getting open and route running:
Kelce: “The best is, if it’s right before the play, I’ll look at Pat and give him the eyes like, yeah I’m about to make some shit up right here.” 🤣🤣🤣
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 14, 2021
Peyton: "[Ciara's] got a ring that I wanted… I didn't get it."
Russell: "Well, I [want] a ring that @TomBrady has… I need to go get, too." 😂
Manning brothers are live right now on ESPN2 & ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/CXwyBFKTqb
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2021
I love that Eli Manning is asking Charles Barkley how he managed to get even on his gambling on NFL games yesterday.
— Ken Fang — Get the f$&ing vaccine!!!! (@fangsbites) September 14, 2021
Charles Barkley comes on the Manning broadcast and says he "got it all back on the Rams last night"
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) September 14, 2021
• I think I speak for a great number of Bears fans when I say I’m gonna need the ManningCast for the Bears-Steelers MNF game in Week 9. Because in addition to the candid in-game commentary, Peyton Manning has a history with these Bears, some love for Nagy as a play-caller, and respect for the Chicago Bears’ history. Bringing in someone who can talk freely about those things would be a breath of fresh air.
• Ultimately, last night was a nice reminder that we don’t need to take this as seriously as we do sometimes. Always good to get a refresher course that this thing we do is supposed to be fun.
• In a battle of former Bears assistants from different eras, Brandon Staley’s charges Chargers emerged victoriously over Ron Rivera’s Football Team after thriving despite facing adversity. All it takes is one good game to start changing a narrative.
• What in the world was THIS THROW?
How Do You Throw It So Wildly From Shortstop That You Hit an Umpire in the Face? – https://t.co/PXMkrDOxqJ pic.twitter.com/o3MbzQeGgI
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) September 14, 2021
• Mario discusses the ones that got away in this week’s Blackhawks mailbag.
• Zach LaVine is finding new motivations as he enters a pivotal point in his career, which happens to sync up nicely on a timeline in which he could land a mega-extension. Not right now, but it could be on the horizon.
