Everything was feeling a half-step off this week until I was innocently scrolling through the bird app this morning and Taylor Alison Swift had the audacity to drop her version of “Wildest Dreams” onto my timeline. Because here’s the thing about music: It’s awesome how a song can just instantly change your mood at the drop of a beat. Let’s have a good Friday, friends.
• Save for the obvious clunker the Bears threw out on Sunday Night Football, the first few weeks of prime-time NFL games have been marvelous. Up-and-down action. Plenty of scoring. Timely defensive stops. And even some clutch kicking. What’s not to love? Well, unless you happen to be a Giants backer who saw defeat snatched from the jaws of victory when a player was offsides when Dustin Hopkins’ 48-yard field goal attempt was wide right. The penalty gave Hopkins another chance, and from 43 yards out, his kick was true and Washington won.
• Today is “Red Zone Day” at Halas Hall, but Matt Nagy would be wise to start the day highlighting that moment as a point of emphasis of what not to do with the game on the line. This team’s margin for error is thin, and I have no interest in living through that type of defeat come Sunday. Or any other day, for that matter.
• So … what do we need to do to get Bears-Giants Week 17 flexed into prime-time?
Daniel Jones has lost all 6 of his primetime starts in the NFL. No quarterback since 1950 has started their career with 7 straight losses in primetime (h/t @EliasSports).
The Giants' next primetime game is Nov. 1 on Monday Night Football. Against the Chiefs. On the road. pic.twitter.com/BkJrlneIT4
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 17, 2021
• Also, Nagy should probably try and get ahead of something like this just in case he feels his locker room is teetering. I’m not sure it’s there just yet. And I feel like we, as a collective, will know what it is when we see it because of what we experienced during the Marc Trestman era. But the Bears should be wanting to avoid something like this:
Kenny Golladay saying something to Daniel Jones pic.twitter.com/nDqkF6k3S6
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) September 17, 2021
• On the other side of the formation, rookie Kadarius Toney is two games into his professional career and seemingly unhappy with his usage:
Kadarius Toney posted this to Instagram. He was visibly upset at one point on the sideline in the second half after speaking with Joe Judge.
Nothing at a Golladay-Jones level, but clearly wasn’t happy. pic.twitter.com/L29NEjdSI6
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) September 17, 2021
• Poor Mina Kimes had to deal with #TheRatio of #BearsTwitter:
can someone remind me why Charles Leno isn’t a Chicago Bear
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) September 17, 2021
• The answer to Mina Kimes’ question is that the Bears chose to cut a serviceable starting left tackle for cap clearing purposes instead of a second tight end who was in on just 14 offensive snaps. Again, this is no slight on Jimmy Graham. He is a certain Hall of Famer who changed the position with his play over the years. It’s just that the asset management during an offseason that led the Bears to cut a starting left tackle and cornerback leaves me exhausted just thinking about it.
• And, yes, I realize Charles Leno Jr. was beaten on the play that resulted in Ryan Fitzpatrick suffering an injury. But if Leno is bad because of that singular moment, does that mean he was good in Chicago because it never happened during his stretch of 93 consecutive starts? Or does faulty logic only apply at certain times?
• Let’s say this about Jimmy Graham: Dude stays ready to contribute. He is a consummate pro, and by all accounts, a wonderful teammate. Even though his cap number eats at what the 2021 Bears can do, I won’t totally discredit the value of veteran leadership. Here’s hoping that stuff sticks with his teammates for a long time.
• I’m glad we’re getting clarity regarding the chess piece comment heard ’round Bears Twitter:
So many people om Bears Twitter have run with this. Nagy didn’t call Fields a chess piece. Dan Wiederer did. Not sure why it is so inflammatory but it is being misquoted. Nagy was actually probably the most coherent he has been so far about what they are doing w/ JF1. 🤷🏻♂️ https://t.co/aXZw2MBUnj pic.twitter.com/L4sQ8T7wCg
— Da TailGate Show ™️ (@DaTailGateShow) September 17, 2021
• If I had to guess, I think we’ll see at least 10 offensive plays from Justin Fields this week. It feels obvious that the Bears were never going to use The Mahomes Plan™ with Fields. And when Fields was trotting onto the So-Fi Stadium turf on Chicago’s first drive, that whole scenario was thrown out the window. And when Nagy says Fields’ Week 1 usage was part of a long-term plan that was born in the offseason, then it really drove the stake into the coffin.
• Earlier in the offseason, we explored some paths to QB1 because I felt folks might have been over-emphasizing the Smith-Mahomes plan as the sure-fire path with Fields. The post still rings true today, so I’d recommend checking it out as a refresher. Things are now as they were then — we’re looking at a completely different dynamic when looking at Dalton-Fields when compared with Smith-Mahomes. So why not look at this situation for what it is and not what something else was?
• In that vein, Chris Emma (670 The Score) writes how Fields’ usage reminds him of how the Ravens were deploying Lamar Jackson during his rookie year. It’s something that was in the back of my mind back in August, when flawed arguments were being made as to why Fields should sit all year long. Ultimately, I’m (1) glad I wasn’t alone in remembering the uniqueness of this situation and (2) happy the Bears aren’t blindly following a plan that didn’t fit their situation just because Nagy was in the vicinity when the Smith-Mahomes thing worked.
• I’m always here for Matt Bowen’s Bears thoughts:
More #Bears
Defensive playmakers have to create more disruption (pass rush & the secondary).
CB position will be one to monitor early this season (matchups, ability to generate on the ball production).
Can’t have coverage busts vs. NFL QBs.
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) September 16, 2021
• The Bears hosted punter Ryan Anderson for a tryout. But before we start worrying about Pat O’Donnell’s future, Brad Biggs (Tribune) points out that Anderson, like Bengals punter Kevin Huber, is a left-footed punter. I’d like to see the Bears force a handful of punts, then see Nsimba Webster break off a huge return so this minor attention to detail could prove to be worthwhile.
• There aren’t too many fond memories of the Dave Wannstedt era in Chicago, which is why I feel like this got a ton of blowback:
Former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt believes he’d make the playoffs every year with the 2018 defense and Mitch Trubisky. https://t.co/Msh91PokXj
— BearsWire (@TheBearsWire) September 16, 2021
• I’ll say this on Wannstedt’s behalf: He is an entertaining media personality and wonderful story-teller. If you’ve ever heard his guest spots on radio or seen him on TV, then you already know what I’m talking about. But he is out-of-pocket with that statement, mostly because it’s nonsensical. The Bears have made the playoffs twice in three years with Nagy at the helm. So, essentially, Wannstedt is saying the difference between making it 3-for-3 in playoff runs is him running the show and not Nagy. That line of thinking simply doesn’t line up. Especially given what we know about how the Wannstedt era turned out in Chicago.
• For your listening pleasure:
Give Justin Fields a chance, big Bengals questions & more with Paul Dehner Jr. https://t.co/KbiPDQiVY1
— The Athletic Chicago (@TheAthleticCHI) September 16, 2021
• This has the potential to be awesome:
.@Colts to be featured on HBO’s first in-season “Hard Knocks” – https://t.co/NqXVuABcRQ
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) September 17, 2021
• While the big-league Cubs are making a habit of getting out to big leads, coughing them up, then getting their doors blown off, Brennen Davis continues to hit tanks at every MiLB level. Is it June 2022 yet?
• Goaltender mask art is neat:
New 🌸 mask #Blackhawks
(📸 @NHLBlackhawks) pic.twitter.com/Znc4JUvha0— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) September 16, 2021
• 🗣️ LOUDER FOR THE FOLKS IN THE BACK!
Actually, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan Can Fit Together Just Fine, Thank You Very Muchhttps://t.co/UvMDbHEiG3 pic.twitter.com/sUkNHYugy5
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) September 15, 2021