Coming back from a vacation on the bye fills me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it feels nice to feel even a little bit of refreshed after a weekend away. But on the other hand, I see my to-do list and think – “Gosh, I could really use another bye week!”
• The MNF matchup between the Rams and 49ers had a little bit of everything:
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1460451539521191941
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 16, 2021
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1460446156408991750
Al Michaels does a Howard Cosell impression, Matthew Stafford throws a (tough luck) pick-six. pic.twitter.com/sbtrCfaLLG
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 16, 2021
• There was a Butt Catch that wasn’t, trash talk with one of the best doing it in the NBA right now, Al Michaels going full Howard Cosell, a chain that will be appearing in an E-40 video coming to you soon, and so much more. And there was also a football game, one in which the 49ers beat the Rams 31-10.
• It was one in which Marc Trestman with a Yeezys collection that might make my Jordan Brand obsession look small had his way with Sean McVay. I’m not sure what type of sorcery Kyle Shanahan continually uses to get the best of McVay and the Rams, but the Niners have been putting in that work. The 49ers have won 6 of 9 against the Rams in the Shanahan-McVay era. San Francisco has now won five consecutive in the series. Say what you want, but Shanahan is getting it done against his top rival. Wish I knew what that feeling was like…
• What’s up with the Rams? Shouldn’t this defense with Von Miller, Aaron Donald, and Jalen Ramsey look better? Is Matthew Stafford going to continue looking like he is still wearing Honolulu blue and playing a disappointing brand of football like he was still with the Lions? I didn’t expect Odell Beckham Jr. to take off immediately after less than a handful of days of practicing with his new team. But it is evident that Rams team still needs to gel before it is the fully operational Death Star it appears to be on paper.
• Glancing at the Super Bowl odds the morning after a Monday night game is something I like doing:
NFL Super Bowl winner updated
TB, Buf 6/1
KC, LAR 7/1
Ten 8/1
Ari 9/1
GB, Dal 10/1
Bal 14/1
NE 16/1
NO, Cle, LAC 40/1
SF, Pit, Ind, Min, Cin 50/1
LV 80/1
Sea, Den 200/1
Phi, Car 300/1
Mia 500/1
Chi, Atl, NYG, Wsh 1000/1
Jax, NYJ 5000/1
Det, Hou XX— Jeff Sherman (@golfodds) November 16, 2021
• The Bears are Super Bowl long-shots. But that’s OK, because I have more of an interest in playing spoiler right now than a wish-upon-a-shooting-star shot at the postseason. Think about it. If the Bears are playing spoiler from this date forward, it likely means Justin Fields’ development is doing just fine. And so long as Fields’ arrow continues to point up, the Bears will be trending in the right direction. Mark Potash (Sun-Times) explores how the bye week could pay off for Fields moving forward.
• Alyssa Barbieri (Bears Wire) notes Fields spent time training during the bye week. And with former Bears receiver Brandon Marshall, of all people. *Starts humming “It’s a Small World After All”*
• On the other side of the ball, watching DeAndre Houston-Carson’s career arc has been a treat:
On Bears DB DeAndre Houston-Carson and the impact he is making in his sixth NFL season https://t.co/esVsV6W18Z
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) November 15, 2021
• DHC is a throwback. A grinder. The type of player who goes from a sixth-round pick and climbs the NFL ladder. Special teams. Grunt work. Thankless jobs on the gridiron. All that dirty work to become a core special teams contributor. Someone who chips in with a growing snap share on defense. Makes splash plays when the opportunities present themselves. And is carving a niche as a fan favorite for doing it all selflessly. All of this makes Houston-Carson so easy to root for on game day. Go get ’em, #36.
• Chris Emma (670 The Score), Alex Shapiro (NBC Sports Chicago), and Jason Lieser (Sun-Times) share Matt Nagy disclosing that he had conversations that were “lengthy” and with “honesty” with the NFL about the officiating in the Bears’ MNF loss against the Steelers. And yet, I can’t come away from it without feeling disappointment in Nagy not publicly sticking up for his team by wearing it out in the open. The optics coming out of that game would’ve looked better had Nagy just let ‘er rip in a show of support. I mean, if Jim Boylen can get Zach LaVine’s support for biting the bullet once in a battle against Doc Rivers, then someone who won the NFL’s Coach of the Year award for his efforts in 2018 (which wasn’t that darn long ago) should be able to do the same.
• LANE CHANGE: I realize the last Memphis receiver the Bears took in the NFL Draft didn’t work out as well as we were hoping for when the pick went down. But it’s never too early to put your eyes on a prospect of interest:
Invites for the #SeniorBowl have started rolling out, and one player the #Bears should keep an eye on is Memphis WR Calvin Austin III.
He’s an explosive athlete with elite YAC ability and punt return value. He’s small but is insanely fun to watch. pic.twitter.com/vB0koW7JFB
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) November 16, 2021
• Visible happiness: Star Wars gear is among the Early Black Friday Deals today at Amazon. #ad
• Happy Birthday to your favorite Bears player’s favorite Bears player:
https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1460639767377371141
• José Berríos is one of my favorite pitchers to watch. Not just because he is on my dynasty fantasy team. But also, because he is a strike-thrower who works at a good pace. I guess it doesn’t hurt that he is also from Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Anyway, reports are that he is securing the bag in Toronto:
Jose Berrios Reportedly Agrees to “Big Extension” with the Toronto Blue Jays – https://t.co/DHEKh6A8Eh pic.twitter.com/8A5a9L1pX5
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) November 16, 2021
• Elsewhere in the baseball world, I am HOWLING:
A Dunk Tank Clown Heckled Adam Wainwright and Got Exactly What He Asked For – https://t.co/P4W9GNE9sB pic.twitter.com/LaPwJxql8H
— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) November 16, 2021
• The Bulls were playing like they were possessed by a higher power last night. Their style frustrated Anthony Davis to the point where he had to put the sticks down:
Anthony Davis Was Ejected from the Game, Which Brought a Plain-Clothes LeBron James to to the Courthttps://t.co/XxVLz24huA pic.twitter.com/u0PsP1qmAT
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 16, 2021
• Well, then. This is one way to handle a situation of this magnitude:
NHL Postpones Ottawa Senators Games Through November 20thhttps://t.co/vw0k2YEFOK
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) November 15, 2021