NEWSLETTER
I’ll be brief with our Bullets lead-in today: Be as kind to others as you would want others to be to you. Whether we’re talking strangers, co-workers, friends … whomever. It costs nothing to be a good egg.
• With the 2022 NFL Draft in the books, it means that scout contracts are expiring. And for a Chicago Bears team with a new administration running the show, it means that changes are on the horizon. No matter how much a new GM likes the scouts they inherit, change feels inevitable. And it has begun around Halas Hall:
#Bears GM Ryan Poles continues to reshape the front office. League sources say director of college scouting Mark Sadowski, a St. Rita graduate, will not return. Sadowski has been with the organization since 2005.https://t.co/23By8ke3NF
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) May 3, 2022
The Bears have parted ways with director of college scouting Mark Sadowski, national scout Chris Prescott and scouting coordinator Bobby Macedo. Changes to scouting departments are commonplace after the draft and GM Ryan Poles is now reshaping that staff.
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) May 3, 2022
• The parting of ways with Chris Prescott will stand out to folks, as it comes shortly after the now-former national scout made some cringe-worthy statements regarding second-round safety Jaquan Brisker:
Bears National scout Chris Prescott on Jaquan Brisker: "He’s a – what would we call it? – Ph.D? Poor, hungry and desperate. Football is his life. This is this kid’s life. There’s a lot to like about that when you see a guy who’s so passionate about football."
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) April 30, 2022
• I understand that the terminology Prescott used is lingo that has long been used in scouting circles. But just because something has been said for a long time doesn’t make it right or acceptable. With that being said, I thought Mina Kimes did an excellent job explaining and expanding on this situation:
When we reduce black prospects’ stories of adversity to traits like 40 times, we reduce them as human beings.
Some thoughts on the comments from a Bears scout on Jaquan Brisker this weekend, and a problem that continues to persist in draft commentary: pic.twitter.com/zQSCVhp5L9
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) May 2, 2022
• There is no smooth transition from that topic. However, I’d like to stay the course and discuss the future of this front office. From a big-picture perspective, I’m curious to follow how GM Ryan Poles re-shapes things in his vision. He has already brought in two high-profile new faces for gigs that previously weren’t part of what the Bears had been doing, but I imagine that is just the beginning.
• What’s next? Who’s next? It sure would be nice to add more jobs, modernizing the front office in a way that catches up with the rest of the league. Maybe get hip with analytics that could aid in finding new competitive advantages. I think we’ve already seen some of that at work with how Poles turned a day with just three picks into eight with some thrifty shopping.
• Expansion and modernization are the two words I have in mind when it comes to re-configuring the front office with a new regime. The Bears have the reputation of running a billion dollar industry like a mom and pop shop. On the one hand, that has its perks because there is a personal touch to everything. Let’s keep it real. No one truly enjoys working for a soulless conglomerate. But on the other hand, the Bears are a major entity that should be run more efficiently and in a more effective manner. Can Poles help strike a middle ground? We’ll see.
• Speaking of expansion and improvement, those terms can be used to describe the Bears’ defensive backfield:
Most improved units after the NFL Draft, per @PFF_Linsey pic.twitter.com/FZY5s1UBIO
— PFF (@PFF) May 2, 2022
• Between drafting Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Briskett, plus the free agency addition of Tavon Young, Chicago’s secondary went from major concern to potential bright spot. At minimum, it represents a 180 degree turn around from where the team was at this time last year. And it is a head-and-shoulders improvement from where it was at the end of the 2021 season.
• Even after drafting four (!) offensive linemen on Saturday, the Bears could still be in the market for another:
The Eagles Are Cutting OL Nate Herbig, Whose Profile Somewhat Reminds Me of Ryan Bateshttps://t.co/lDAiJeW0iO pic.twitter.com/1GerPsiN5q
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) May 2, 2022
• If you ever wondered where Ryan Pace got it from, let this clue you in:
The New Orleans Saints essentially traded picks No. 98, No. 101, No. 120, a 2023 first-rounder and a 2024 second-rounder for Chris Olave.
Mickey Loomis is a mad man.
— Austin Gayle (@PFF_AustinGayle) May 2, 2022
• This NFL offseason has been so wild, it feels like these allegations — which the league has been unable to verify — dropped ages ago instead of months ago:
The independent review by Mary Jo White and the Debevoise law firm into allegations by former Browns’ coach Hue Jackson has concluded, per source. Allegations could not be substantiated.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 2, 2022
More on the NFL’s determination that, unlike Hue Jackson’s claims, the Browns did not tank games: pic.twitter.com/jRIFRgzDfo
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 2, 2022
• An interesting extension in Atlanta:
https://twitter.com/rapsheet/status/1521491317926371328?s=21&t=cbObfQ0eOmV-M__oOx6sbQ
• Officiating updates from around the league:
We’re excited to welcome the newest game officials, replay officials and replay assistants to the @NFL: https://t.co/GDG5EbWEsv 👏 pic.twitter.com/UNpE8JTTYd
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) May 3, 2022
• It’s never too early to start thinking about the NBA Draft:
Let’s Familiarize Ourselves With the 2022 NBA Draft Classhttps://t.co/DO2gdjG4h2 pic.twitter.com/nvJxrqhBGR
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 2, 2022
• Shohei Ohtani is fun:
Shohei Ohtani Threw a Ball at a White Sox Fan and It Was Hilarioushttps://t.co/2cODuuuX5z pic.twitter.com/IWqNwlTfFy
— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) May 3, 2022
