Assuming I don’t get sidetracked as I did yesterday, I’ll finally get around to watching the All-Madden doc tonight. Sure am glad I DVR’d while I was away during Christmas. Otherwise, I’d be chasing it down like everyone else. The reviews are generally positive. Considering Madden’s impact on my life as a football fan, this is must-see-TV for me.
• First thing’s first, in case you missed the news:
Sigh: Justin Fields Lands in COVID Protocolhttps://t.co/nHHHbPw7g4 pic.twitter.com/To4UDwL3Wc
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) January 6, 2022
• What a bummer. Read more about it in the post above. We’re moving on, for now.
• So, I had a thought. Several thoughts, now that I came to think about it. These thoughts are rooted in chatter surrounding Jim Harbaugh’s possible interest in coaching at the NFL level again. And the buzz about the growing reality that GM Ryan Pace could return in 2022. I then put those thoughts in a thread on Twitter. You can check out some of them below:
And it starts with Day 1, when Pace takes the GM job essentially on the condition he hires John Fox. Hey, if you say “Luis, I’ll give you a GM gig in the NFL l, but if you hire Mr. X” … I’d consider it. I’m only human. And there are only 32 such jobs in the NFL.
— Funky Cold Luda (@lcm1986) January 6, 2022
Ultimately, Pace didn’t address the QB until 3 years into his GM career. And he did so with a hedge that’s vogue in football. It’s the old placeholder with the first-rounded in the wings. Basically, one big “if this short-term option fails, you gotta let me see this through…”
— Funky Cold Luda (@lcm1986) January 6, 2022
The first step in the job preservation pivot was engineering a trade-up to draft QB Justin Fields. Conveniently enough, right before Pace’s contract was set to expire.
— Funky Cold Luda (@lcm1986) January 6, 2022
• Maybe I’m just being cynical. But seeing the common thread of job preservation rolling through the seven years of Pace’s time with the Bears leaves me to believe that noise surrounding high-profile coach replacements is the latest step in the job preservation process. It sure as heck makes a lot more sense than believing “these guys are suddenly competent” with their targets.
• In that vein, it’s unsurprising that the Bears are being connected to those big-ticket names. Let’s face it. There is a disconnect between who the Bears are, who they think they are, and who they want to be. They want to be this family owned business that happens to have a winning, functioning football team.
• It’s why they threw their hat in the ring to net a Khalil Mack via trade to pay him what was the biggest contract to a defensive player at the time. And it’s why they are aggressive in pursuing the likes of Allen Robinson II and Robert Quinn when they were popular free agent targets. It is also why they spent the last two offseasons trying to swing big at the QB position. Whether it was a failed pursuit of Russell Wilson last offseason, the shortcomings in their wooing of Tom Brady, and even their success in landing the trade-up for Justin Fields. It was all done in the name of trying to land the big fish because “we’re the Bears and that’s what we want to be.”
• One might suggest the Bears are in a bit of an identity crisis. And I would agree with that sentiment. They employ a coach who appears to be on his way out, a GM whose future is uncertain, a president who might be heading toward the exits as part of bigger changes, and a quarterback who is about to wrap up the first season on his rookie deal. How is any of this healthy for an organization? Let alone the signal caller deemed to be their next attempt at wrangling an honest-to-goodness franchise quarterback. If the Bears were who they think they are, this wouldn’t be happening. The disconnect from reality is frustrating when everyone sees it except the people who need to see it.
• I’m looking forward to seeing what Teven Jenkins can cook up in the final game:
• Jenkins is a toolsy tackle, and I can understand why the Bears were insisting on moving him to the left side from the start. Because, even while I didn’t agree with it, I can vibe with the line of thinking that leads to the end result being Jenkins suiting up as a franchise left tackle. There is still so much he needs to do to get to where he wants to be. But there’s ability and a want-to that would make me hesitant to bet against him.
• There’s also a mean-streak that this offensive line hasn’t had since Kyle Long was let go. It’s nice to have that back.
• I feel like fans of the three other teams in the NFC North would want this, too:
#Vikings QB Kirk Cousins: "I certainly want to be a Minnesota Viking for the rest of my career."
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 5, 2022
• Don’t get me wrong. Kirk Cousins puts up the type of numbers I’d want from my fantasy quarterback at the end of the year. But the Vikings invested heavy numbers in the Cousins era by way of salary, cap space, draft capital (Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson is a heckuva talent tandem to draft in order to help the QB), building a defense, and hiring a coaching staff to get the most out of your talents, and the end result is one (1) playoff appearance in (4) seasons. If Kirk Cousins wants to keep driving the bandwagon of mediocrity in Minnesota, who am I to stop him from taking the wheel? It sure beats the alternative of watching a rival get younger and better at the position, all while gaining precious flexibility under the cap.
• This is a bold idea and I’m into it:
Here is an idea: Remove punts and field goals in week 18 games between teams who are either eliminated or locked into a seed. Every 4th down is played out.
— Timo Riske (@PFF_Moo) January 5, 2022
• I understand why the NFL wouldn’t be gung-ho about implementing this idea. But fortune favors the bold. And the NFL could use some Week 18 fun for fans of teams who aren’t in the playoff hunt.
• Gonna tell our friends at Obvious Shirts to put this Robert Quinn quote on a tee:
When asked about his courtesy toward the media, Robert Quinn quotes what he says is a familiar saying: "A man's got two things: His words and his nuts. And you don't want to lose either."
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) January 5, 2022
• Hey Siri, play “Bling Bling” by B.G. and the Big Tymers:
Derrick Henry Gets 100-Ct Diamond Chain To Honor Legendary Football Careerhttps://t.co/E2J9nD3Nkl
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) January 6, 2022
• How can you not love how the Bulls play basketball?
Still thinking about this sequence from Zach LaVine.
Flies to block the shot and save it from going out of bounds before splitting two defenders at the rim to force the 3-point play.
A great display of how he’s using his wicked athleticism to become a better two-way player. pic.twitter.com/7jUh1b9Rui
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) January 5, 2022
• You almost had to know that folks would try to copycat the ManningCast:
ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Shakeup Could Reportedly Include a Whole Separate A-Rodcast – https://t.co/lL5hEwkofD pic.twitter.com/WTMAGtRGu1
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) January 5, 2022
• And you definitely knew that when something is often imitated, it will certainly not be duplicated.
• After looking at the temperature outside, I wish it was Summer ’22 already:
What Rosters Could Look Like If There Was a 2022 World Cup of Hockey Next Summerhttps://t.co/XIPEhyvbY4 pic.twitter.com/kAcc91VZys
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 6, 2022