NEWSLETTER
Crummy weather canceled a rare Bears weekend training camp practice that was open to fans. Bummer. The Bears already limit how many practices fans are able to attend. And tickets for the practices are already at a premium. Weekends represents a time where most fans can go, so to see one get canceled stinks. In previous years, the Bears didn’t offer makeup dates for training camp rainouts. And while I don’t imagine they will change course, they should probably consider offering something to fans who made plans only to see them get washed away.
Hey, maybe they’ll consider having an indoor practice facility that could accommodate training camp fan attendance when they build their Arlington Heights facility.
- How about some training camp practice highlights to hold us over?
- One thing you won’t see much of in that clip above is Teven Jenkins, who was limited to a few individual drills and no team activities. Consider this a ramp-up period for a player who made his first practice appearance on Saturday. Hopefully, he can build on that today and in the week to come. A late start to practice season probably puts Jenkins’ odds of playing in Saturday’s preseason opener up-in-the-air. But perhaps the goal should be to get him lined up to play in Preseason Week 2, which is 11 days from today.
- Courtney Cronin (ESPN) adds Shon Coleman to the list of Bears players who have spent time taking first team reps this summer. Coleman was getting work at left tackle splitting reps with rookie Braxton Jones. Cronin made it a point to underscore how the Bears were easing up the workloads for veterans Riley Reiff and Cody Whitehair. So I suppose if you’re going to give vet days off at times when it is as ridiculously hot and humid as yesterday was in the Chicagoland area, then I see no problem giving some spare first-team reps to an upstart offensive lineman. Give ’em a taste of the first-string life now, and keep them striving for more throughout the remainder of camp.
- Justin Fields figures to have a fight on his hands this season. Saturday’s training camp practice came to a close with four receivers out of the lineup and three of his top linemen on the sidelines for various reasons. But Josh Schrock (NBC Sports Chicago) sees Fields’ Saturday showing as a sign of growth.
- A key part of growth is communication. And this quote Patrick Finley (Sun-Times) pulls from Bears Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy puts it in pepper perspective:
“It’s the intent. It’s the passion that you can just feel from someone when you’re sitting in the room with them and you’re talking through your responsibilities. It’s not like Justin is the outspoken guy that makes everyone know what he’s saying, but helmets you feel what he’s feeling, and he communicates really well in that room.”
- Verbal and non-verbal communication are equally important. And when you can make someone feel what you’re feeling, then it makes it that much easier to get them on the same page as you. From there, you’re one step closer to that one-band, one-sound type of vibe that quality quarterbacks have with good offenses.
- If “Synchronized Quarterbacking” was an Olympic sport, the Bears would be going for the gold:
- You’ve gotta love seeing the Bears give back to the community:
- The Packers are among the teams name-checked by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport as having a possible interest in signing Odell Beckham Jr., who remains a free agent as of this posting. You’d think the Bears would have an interest in Beckham, considering the needs popping up after some key injuries at a position group that was already littered with question-marks. But Rap Sheet specifically mentions “contenders” as teams who have reported interest. And I just don’t think the Bears are there quite yet. More from Rapoport here:
- Of course, the Packers have *OTHER* injury concerns after Darnell Savage’s Friday night hamstring injury. Savage says he doesn’t think it’s a concern, but I’d bet on Green Bay playing it cautiously with one of its top defensive backs. (ESPN)
- Browns RB Kareem Hunt reportedly asked for a trade and the team’s response was essentially a casual “Nah.” More from Cleveland reporter Mary Kay Cabot:
- This is where the fun begins — in the minor leagues:
- Oh, word?
- For those of you who need hockey in your life:
