The Chairman Goes to O’Hare, Top Plays from 2021, Hiestand Goes Home, and Other Bears Bullets

Give a friend a compliment today. Say something nice about them. Send them a funny TikTok. Do something nice for yourself, of course. But also, do something cool for someone else.

•   If you’re from Chicago, you already know that we don’t say “I love you.” Instead, we say: “Sure, I’ll pick you up from O’Hare.” So … I guess this Ryan Poles stuff is getting serious.:

•   Getting a second interview with the Bears in one thing. But getting the owner to pick you up from the airport in a dripped out jacket is another.

•   Is it a bit dorky that the team’s chairman is out here picking up GM candidate from the airport? Yeah. Is it weird that he is picking up his baggage. Sure, I guess. But it’s also a little endearing, right? It’s definitely the least bothersome or troubling thing George McCaskey has done this month. And if it helps seal the deal with a preferred candidate, then hey, do what you gotta do.

•  When it comes to these searches, I think the general manager hire can be more important than the coach hire because of the over-arching organizational impact. Especially when it is a team like the Bears, whose general manager is the top football decision-maker. Unlike coaches, where we can dissect game tape, evaluate coaching trees, and speculate based on similar candidates and situations elsewhere, it is tougher to nail down these GM candidates.

•  With that being said, if the Bears feel strongly enough about a candidate to send The Chairman to pick up a candidate, and said candidate knocks the second interview out of the park, then be aggressive and make the hire. Don’t let him get on a flight to Minnesota where another interview awaits. Show some gumption. Make your interest known. Be aggressive. And if it keeps a preferred candidate from latching onto a division rival, then that’s a nice bonus.

•   I think Matt Bowen nails it here when it comes to the coaching search:

•   There is an obvious desire to go with an offensive-leaning head coach. But the Bears need to build a team. From top to bottom. And the head coach needs a staff of studs up and down the line. An offensive-leaning coach who can get on the same page with the QB is nice. But in the end, bringing in someone who can mold Justin Fields into the best player he can be is *THE* top priority. Above all else, that is a gotta-have-it move. Just get it done.

•   Why, yes, the Bears did make enough plays to piece together a top-10 list:

•   Very cool: Robert Quinn and Jakeem Grant Sr. made the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-NFC Team. Tack it on to the list of accolades for Quinn and Grant, who both made the Pro Bowl and were given second-team All-Pro recognition.

•   Remember the work of art I shared in Monday’s set of Bullets? Turns out you can purchase it for yourself. (h/t @KevinKaduk)

•   Beats headphones, security cameras, lanterns, and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon. #ad

•   In the words of Marshawn Lynch — take care of your chicken, take care of your mentals:

•   OPE:

•   The irony isn’t lost on me that Aaron Rodgers didn’t look like himself in the guts of that game despite the weather conditions being in favor of the home team.

•   Preach, Mina:

•   Things could be worse, Bears fans:

•   He isn’t wrong here:

•   When graphic design is your passion:

•   An old friend finds a new home (which happens to be an old home):

•   Speaking of old friends:

•   Well, this is certainly interesting:

•   I covered a little bit of The Frontier League when I was coming out of college. And if you like baseball, but aren’t close to an MLB market, or you want your hardball while managing a tight budget, then I highly recommend giving it a shot. With that being said, I love this for the league:

•   AYO!

 

written by

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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