NEWSLETTER
One of my longest-standing friends is getting married today, which means I’ll be a little less active around here than I’d usually be. With that in mind, if you see any offensive line, wide receiver, secondary, or other positional prospect worth keeping tabs on during your day of watching college football, be sure to tag us at @BN_Bears.
• Who needs morning coffee when you awaken to a push notification that Matt Nagy won’t be coaching the Bears this weekend? Nagy remains in COVID protocols after testing positive on Monday. And because Nagy didn’t submit two negative tests at least 24 hours apart this week, it will be Chris Tabor running the show instead. Part of me is surprised Mike Pettine isn’t getting the call here. Pettine is a “Senior Defensive Assistant” and has prior head-coaching experience at the NFL level. It wasn’t any good, but the Browns hadn’t been doing well by their coaches until recent seasons. This would’ve allowed all three of Chicago’s coordinators to stick in their roles. But I guess if anyone is best positioned to do this in a pinch among the coordinators, it’s Tabor — who has his hands in coaching players on offense and defense.
• Naturally, this leaves me wondering what the Bears will look like under new leadership. To be clear, this isn’t how anyone wanted to see a new leader on Chicago’s sideline. However, there is a non-zero number of fans who would like to see the Bears lay the smackdown on the 49ers so they can present that as Exhibit A as to why bigger changes need to be made next year. So … what are we rooting for tomorrow? Is there anything that can happen that will ultimately serve as a “gotcha!” moment that seals Nagy’s fate among fans? Or is that already decided?
• Admittedly, I got a chuckle out of thinking about the non-zero percentage of fans who will say Tabor represents an upgrade over Nagy sight unseen. Growing up, we would joke about how most popular player among Bears fans was always the backup QB. Using that line of thinking, the most popular person at Halas Hall is the next coach up who isn’t the head coach. I’m chuckling just thinking about it.
• Teddy’s got jokes:
Bears now favored by 27? https://t.co/SRSPiPz0At
— Teddy Greenstein (@TeddyGreenstein) October 30, 2021
• Jeff Hughes (Da Bears Blog) has the formulas to beat San Francisco:
“They need to block them. They need to tackle them. They need to catch the football. They need to hit Garoppolo. The Bears are underdogs at home to a two-win mess of a team. They need to play like they’re embarrassed by that fact. If they do these things, no matter who their coach is, they’ll be 4-4 Sunday afternoon.”
• As World Series winning former Cubs Manager Joe Maddon might put it: “Do simple better.”
• DeAndre Houston-Carson’s career arc has been fascinating to follow. This frames it in an easy to digest way:
• I’ll be curious to see how the Bears continue to deploy Houston-Carson. The 28-year-old defensive back is coming off a game in which he made 11 tackles, but figures to take a back seat to Tashaun Gipson Sr., who is questionable to play this week after missing the Bucs game. For what it’s worth, Houston-Carson has a knack for being around the ball and making plays. And with that in mind, I expect Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai to continue giving Houston-Carson work in various packages while in search of a spark.
• Tools, digital frames, wireless gear, and more are your Epic Daily Deals at Amazon. #ad
• If you took a poll of fans asking if they like having traditional captains or weekly ones, a large contingency of voters would reply: “Who the heck cares?” And I would feel that in my soul. With that being said, here are this week’s Bears captains:
Our Week 8 Captains 🎃 pic.twitter.com/MzB2MVogWY
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 29, 2021
• Giving Marquise Goodwin — who spent three years with the 49ers from 2017-19 — captain’s status for this week is a nice touch.
• Save for few exceptions, MLB teams using the opener are unsuccessfully trying to copy the Rays have perfected over the years. It’s like when producers in the mid-2000s were trying to jack Kanye West’s style looping soul beats. For more on things happening in MLB, check out Michael’s latest.
• A double whammy of Bulls injury updates:
So What Does the Patrick Williams Injury Mean for the Bulls?https://t.co/5gWkU0QFS1
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) October 29, 2021
Zach LaVine May Have Looked Fine Playing Through His Thumb Injury, But “It Wasn’t Pleasant”https://t.co/GV6BhRtaFE pic.twitter.com/ZXYmPPksdM
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) October 29, 2021
• Former Blackhawks Coach Joel Quenneville is out in Florida, while Kevin Cheveldayoff won’t face discipline from the NHL for his involvement in the Bradley Aldrich abuse scandal.
