NEWSLETTER
Day 1 of what will be 40 consecutive days of mediation during Lent went well enough. However, I think I want to go back to basics via the Headspace app. And from there, build up to where I was rather than trying to pick it back up like I never left.
• Ryan Poles’ description of what it’s like pulling up to work for the Chicago Bears gave me chills:
Hey @ChicagoBears fans, want goosebumps? Here’s new GM Ryan Poles…
"It's surreal… They've created this hallway when you enter and as you walk down the white lights start to go off & it's Payton, Sayers, Butkus, and it gives you intent everyday to live up to that standard." pic.twitter.com/OVIkfDXVqN
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) March 2, 2022
• No, the recent history isn’t all that good in Chicago. And I’d rather have wins than chills or goosebumps. But I feel as if Poles understands the gravitas of the mission he is undertaking. In order to awaken the vibes that are similar to what Poles is describing upon arrival to Halas Hall, he (and everyone else in the organization) needs to build something fresh. Poles gave it some good perspective in his introductory press conference. He is right when he notes you’re not able to bring your old situation with you to your new job. But you can take stuff from your past and apply it to what you’re working on now. That is what Poles will attempt to do. That he’ll draw inspiration from the Bears’ history is neat, too, I guess.
• I’m digging what Head Coach Matt Eberflus is laying out publicly. At least, in terms of what he is looking for (and at multiple important positions):
Bears HC Matt Eberflus on what his offensive influence will be: You’d be open to the system they’re (OC) putting in, and then more importantly you’d have your hands on the style.”
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) March 1, 2022
“We want quickness and instincts. We want guys that are ballhawks at the defensive back position”. – #Bears HC Matt Eberflus on what he wants in a DB.
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) March 1, 2022
Simple answer from Matt Eberflus on what he wants his 3-technique to be able to do: Win your 1-on-1s and stay in the B-gap when they run zone away from you.
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) March 1, 2022
• We’re still in the honeymoon phase with the new coach and general manager. And yet, I’m digging how assertive both Poles and Eberflus have been in explaining what they’re looking for moving forward. They’re not naming names, but both are making it clear what they want. This is probably a good place to be operating from at this time for the Bears. Know what you want, target it, and go for it via trades, free agency, the draft, etc. And if it isn’t there, don’t squeeze square pegs into round holes. We’ve seen way too much of that from recent failed regimes.
• When trying to see the future Bears through that particular lens, Andrew Dannehy’s latest at Da Bears Blog goes through recent Colts drafts to help paint a picture portraying what Eberflus might be looking for in a defensive player. Know what you want and go get it … right?
• What might be most interesting about Eberflus’ type is that the Colts were able to find it in different players, at different positions, and via different avenues. For instance, Dannehy points out how the Colts turned a fifth-round safety wand were able to convert him into a cornerback. Elsewhere at the cornerback spot, Indy was able to target and land Xavier Rhodes, a veteran who has signed modest one-year contracts each of the lat two offseasons. Rhodes made $3 million in 2020 and $4.77 million in 2021. Getting a starting caliber cornerback for less than $5 million in cash would be a nice deal if the Bears could find someone who fits the bill.
• Among the topics of a recent Brad Bigs (Tribune) mailbag is the type of shopping the Bears could do in the secondary. Biggs offers up the idea of the Bears possibly sitting out the first wave of free agency and finding value at the position. Let’s be honest with each other. Chicago’s football team isn’t one cornerback away from lifting this defense back into the top half of the league. But there are potential bargains who can help bolster the room.
• Using PFF’s free agent guide and Rhodes’ recent contracts, these targets could be sensible ones (with PFF contract projections in parenthesis): Casey Heyward (1/$6.5M), Joe Haden (1/$5M), Akhello Witherspoon (1/$4M), Mike Hughes (1/$3.25M), K’Waun Williams (1/$2.5M). Not all of these players perfectly fit that Colts preferred physical mold, but I wonder how much flexibility these Bears will have in finding player fits.
• I’d be curious to know if the Bears have an interest in any of the “freaks” Bruce Feldman has eyes on:
It’s Combine week. Meet the biggest Freaks in this year’s NFL Draft. We’ve got DEs who’ll run faster shuttle times than almost every WR & DB in Indy—and jump out of the building. Plus a couple other guys who have a real shot to break the 40-yd dash record: https://t.co/nT7sXQWoCM
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) March 2, 2022
• DeMar DeRozan is good at basketball, so says a pool of NBA executives:
Pool of NBA Executives Vote DeMar DeRozan Second-Most Clutch Player in the NBAhttps://t.co/8842Sobs0V
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) March 1, 2022
• Some fallout after the Blackhawks made it officially official with new GM Kyle Davidson:
Davidson Speaks: Rebuild Imminent, Trade Deadline Outlook, Thoughts on Next Head Coach, Morehttps://t.co/05P14tLbtx
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) March 2, 2022
• Local man ruins MLB Opening Day:
MLB Announces That It is Unnecessarily Cancelling Regular Season Games – https://t.co/hp86e1cDHb pic.twitter.com/rmL2COV6t3
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) March 1, 2022
