How about some highlights from the Bears’ Week 3 win to get your juices flowing?
It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but they all count in the record books just the same. And re-watching that clip was more exciting that most of last night’s MNF snooze fest featuring the Giants and Cowboys.
More on that as Bullets gets underway…
OK, so the last two primetime games in Week 3 were clunkers. That’s a tough way to end your football week, but at least the Cowboys’ 23-16 win against the Giants it gave us some clarity in evaluating a pair of future Bears opponents. There is no great analytical takeaway beyond: “The Bears could totally beat either of these teams, as currently constituted.” Maybe the Cowboys and Giants feel that way about the Bears. Who gives a diddle? The Bears have already shown they can win games that are played in the muck — both literally (Week 1) and figuratively (Week 3). Who’s up for another taffy pull that results in a Bears win? I know I’m down to clown.
Part of me was *REALLY* hoping this would turn into some sort of kerfuffle…
… Not because I’m promoting postgame violence. Or rooting for someone to do something stupid enough to catch a suspension. But if the Giants — who are already operating on a short week — want to tucker themselves out with a late-night tussle then who am I to stop them? Boys will be boys, after all.
On the field, Giants QB Daniel Jones got roughed up. And I hope Matt Eberflus, Alan Williams, and the rest of Chicago’s defensive coaching staff was taking notes. Jones took five sacks and 12 QB Hits against the Cowboys. At some point, ESPN flashed a graphic that Jones had been pressured 21 times. If ever there was a time for Robert Quinn to eat, it would be Sunday against the Giants. Perhaps Justin Jones can flash again as a 3-technique defensive tackle. Maybe Al-Quadin Muhammad can break out of his early season funk. It could be a time to get pass-rushers such as Dominique Robinson and Trevis Gipson more game reps. I’m just saying, the opportunities will be presenting themselves on game day. And I hope the Bears are ready for them.
“I want to be part of the reason why we win. I don’t know if that sounds selfish offensively, but I want the offense to be the reason why we win a game, and that’s what we are working towards.”— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) September 26, 2022
Sometimes, it is OK to be a little selfish. What one person might call “selfish” another would frame as “hungry.” Go get ’em!
Jerry Azumah has the right idea in putting his mind on the positives:
The #Bears are establishing a run identity which I love. The backs are very yard greedy! This is a positive step for the offensive line too while the coaches figure out the right combo. Take the positives and build on them! Excited to see what they do at the G men! 🐻⬇️— Jerry Azumah (@JerryAzumah) September 26, 2022
At some point you have to believe that Teven Jenkins is part of the “right combo” of offensive linemen. Especially when he is clearing the way with blocks like the one seen below:
Terrific blocking from the Bears to set up Khalil Herbert's 52-yard run. Cody Whitehair and Teven Jenkins helped seal that lane at the second level. pic.twitter.com/OjfIl7Jbp2— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) September 25, 2022
Despite Jenkins’ stellar work here, Head Coach Matt Eberflus Jenkins gets better during Wednesday practices in order to get a large piece of the playing time pie:
Matt Eberflus’ reasoning behind Lucas Patrick getting a larger snap share than Teven Jenkins at RG having to do with performance during Wednesday practice is … something I’ve not heard before. https://t.co/ggeV1mlDmPpic.twitter.com/hxNbQPN2fB— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) September 26, 2022
On the one hand, I get it. I’m all for players earning their playing time. And “practice how you’d play” is one of those things that is drilled into the mind of youngsters playing all sorts of sports everywhere in America. But this is teetering on Matt Nagy explaining away whey certain vets were getting playing time at the expense of developing rookies. I didn’t like it then (and said as much at the time), so I find it difficult to support it now.
I feel awful for Sterling Shepard, the Giants receiver who went down with a non-contact injury on his team’s final offensive snap:
Sterling Shepard — the Giants' top receiver on the night — was carted off after suffering a non-contact leg injury on New York's final offensive play. pic.twitter.com/6Q4coDoaRt— The Comeback (@thecomeback) September 27, 2022
If you thought the Soldier Field turf was a mess, just know that it isn’t the only stadium taking guff for its grass. There are several recent articles bemoaning the state of the green stuff at MetLife Stadium (which is only 12 years old). One prominent piece from Dan Benton (GiantsWire) in October 2020 highlighted NFLPA President JC Tretter calling for the Giants and Jets to lay down natural grass at MetLife. And even has some data to back his request. From the NFLPA’s site:
The data supports the anecdotes you’ll hear from me and other players: artificial turf is significantly harder on the body than grass. Based on NFL injury data collected from 2012 to 2018, not only was the contact injury rate for lower extremities higher during practices and games held on artificial turf, NFL players consistently experienced a much higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries on turf compared to natural surfaces. Specifically, players have a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries when playing on artificial turf. Of those non-contact injuries, players have a 32% higher rate of non-contact knee injuries on turf and a staggering 69% higher rate of non-contact foot/ankle injuries on turf compared to grass.
When the Bears spend gobs of money on the Arlington Heights Stadium To Be Named Later, they better not cut corners on something like the literal playing field. Spare no expense to make it the best of the best. Otherwise, why bother?
If Sterling’s injury issue is a long-term problem, then I think we might hear the end of Kenny Golladay trade rumors. Golladay had a chance to make a strong impression in primetime just hours after NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport began floating the disgruntled receiver’s name as a possible trade candidate. Instead, this happened:
Seriously. Golladay’s play was giving off “oh, THAT is why this guy is on the trade block” vibes. Golladay didn’t haul in any of his three targets and didn’t come close to passing the eye test. At this rate, the Giants will have to send picks (not to mention cash to cover salary) in order to dump Golladay.
Assuming New York can’t pawn Golladay off on some other team before the Nov. 1 trade deadline, I imagine the next big date the Giants are circling on the calendar is June 1, 2023. As in, the Giants can create $13.5 million in cap space by designating Golladay as a post-June 1 cut. It would come at the cost of $7.9 million in dead money. But the juice might be worth the squeeze to cut bait on a receiver who simply isn’t working out in the Big Apple.
With all that being said, part of me still has a teeny bit of interest in Golladay. But only if Bears WRs Coach Tyke Tolbert — who was with the Giants in that capacity last season — were to give it the green light. This isn’t me saying that a position coach should be making a call that should be left up to the GM. But what I am saying is that if his former position coach wouldn’t sign off on it, then that should probably be the end of conversation.
Today marks an important date on the NFL calendar, as ESPN’s Field Yates notes the waiver wire is now reflective of team records. Prior to this week, waiver order was determined by last year’s record. And for the Bears, that was good news because they had a prime spot in the top-10. But as of now, thanks to their 2-1 start, they’re in the 20th waiver spot. Not ideal for waiver claims. But would you rather be where the Raiders are at 0-3?
No, CeeDee Lamb isn’t on the block. Not even after this drop:
Am I willing to go out on a limb and predict the Bears will swing a deadline deal for a receiver? No. I’m not that bold. And based on my wagering picks, predictions really shouldn’t be in my wheelhouse until I start stacking some wins. HOWEVA, I don’t think a pre-deadline deal is as far-fetched as some (i.e. someone who disagree with the premise of the Bears making a trade) might believe. The Bears (Jakeem Grant Sr.), Panthers (Stephon Gilmore), Broncos (Stephen Weatherly, Kenny Young), and Jets (Joe Flacco) were among teams acquiring players last year for late-round/conditional/undisclosed draft picks. What do all those teams have in common? None of them were playoff contenders. So … yeah, sometimes teams are able to finagle an acquisition just to give a player a trial run without giving up much in the process.
A worthwhile comp that we should keep in the back of our minds: The Chiefs traded offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to the Jets for tight end Daniel Brown (yes, that one!). After cutting this deal, the Jets had Duvernay-Tardif starting in seven of eight appearances for the team. The relevance to the Bears? In addition to GM Ryan Poles being in the Chiefs building when the deal went down, it also gives us a data point highlighting that a rebuilding team can acquire a short-term bridge during the season. Again. This isn’t some far-out idea that hasn’t happened. Now, that doesn’t make it likely for the Bears. But it is important to know your options ahead of the trade deadline, which is now 35 days away.
Before the Bears scour the trade market, they should probably check in on free agents. David Kenyon (Bleacher Report) pulls up with a list of free agents who could conceivably lend a helping hand. None of the players are deemed fits for the Bears. That isn’t unsurprising, as most of the team fits for this collection of players happen to be among the preseason Super Bowl favorites. But maybe that ends up driving the Bears toward the trade market. Let’s face it. It’s not as if a team can force a free agent to sign just because it is interested. Free agent contracts are a two-way street.
One future Bears opponent might be playing without its starting QB, as Mac Jones’ high-ankle sprain could keep him out for a bit:
Patriots’ QB Mac Jones has what doctors diagnosed as a severe high ankle sprain that would cause many to have surgery, per sources. He is likely to miss multiple games. Jones and the Patriots still are discussing his options and the best way to proceed.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 26, 2022
Meanwhile, Dak Prescott might be back sooner than we might’ve previously been expecting:
#Cowboys QB Dak Prescott showed me his thumb post stitch removal. No swelling. Healing. Tells me Cowboys/Rams week 5 is a game that he could possibly start. Get the sense he would go Sunday vs. Washington if he could but this will be a team/Dak decision to be smart— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) September 27, 2022
Either that, or Dak is really good at gamesmanship.
Almost lost in the shuffle of the Bears’ Sunday madness was the NFL announcing Rihanna as its Super Bowl halftime show main act (sorry, fellow Swifties):
Rihanna is a certified hit-maker. She is one of the best-selling music artists of all-time with nine Grammys, 12 Billboard Music Awards, 13 American Music Awards, and 14 No. 1 singles to her name. Throw in her known musical collaborators (Jay-Z, Kanye West, Shakira, Maroon 5, Drake, T.I., Calvin Harris, etc.) and we could be in store for a star-studded event. And it is one I’m not going to complain about.
I did a doubt-take because I thought Brett was doing a Bears post:
We’ve focused on young players a lot with our preseason coverage thus far. And there’s a reason for that. It’s a rebuild. pic.twitter.com/Zq3J3yhIVC— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) September 27, 2022
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.
I'm starting to wonder if maybe University of Texas star Byron Murphy II fits the bill as a Chicago Bears draft target.. In his latest at NBC Sports Chicago, Bears insider Josh Schrock wonders if Chicago's football team could be...
The idea of the Chicago Bears drafting a butt-kicking offensive tackle is something that continues to pop up. Perhaps Notre Dame's Joe Alt is something on the team's radar. NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah opines Alt could be someone...
The winds of change are howling through Halas Hall. After years (decades) of searching, the Chicago Bears appear set to finally land their franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams, with the top overall pick. This signals a new era for the Bears, but the...
The Chicago Cubs finished a winning road trip with a series win against the defending NL champs. Taylor Swift has a new album that drops at 11 p.m. CT. And the Chicago Bears will usher in a new quarterback era...
Only one week remains until the biggest event of the NFL offseason — the 2024 NFL Draft. Caleb Williams is going first overall unless something totally unexpected happens. But outside of that, there are still so many questions left to...
I had a great visit with my therapist today. Between that and an afternoon cold brew, I've got enough in me to power through an evening Bears post. Let's dig into some recent mock drafts that are giving off a...
For all the discussion about the big three wide receivers who could be on the Chicago Bears radar on NFL Draft weekend, a different high-profile pass-catcher is apparently garnering some interest from the team. All-American tight end Brock Bowers had...
The Chicago Bears continue building out their organizational staff around President Kevin Warren. And their latest addition arrives to Halas Hall with three Super Bowl rings in tow. The team announced the hiring of Ted Crews, who has spent the...
Maybe it's just me, but Wednesdays are starting to feel like the new Mondays. Ick. There are just 8 days until the 2024 NFL Draft. We're almost there, friends. We've almost made it. The best pre-draft stat you'll see comes...
Even though the Chicago Bears have plugged several notable holes this offseason, one biggie remains. And it leaves me to ask a pertinent question: Who wants to play the 3-technique defensive tackle role? Perhaps Illinois' Johnny Newton is the answer....
The Cincinnati Reds (9-9), with Nick Lodolo on the hill, host the Los Angeles Angels (9-10) who will hand the ball to Tyler Anderson, at 6:40 PM ET on Friday.The article below will provide you with everything you need to...
The Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans take the court to start the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. The Kings are favored by 1.5 points in the contest, which airs on TNT at 9:30 PM ET. The over/under...
The Blackhawks put the worst regular season of more than 70 games in the history of the franchise to bed on Thursday night in a manner that sums up the season fairly well. Connor Murphy was banged up and Nikita...
It's a first-round matchup with a history of fireworks! The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers lock horns once again in the NBA Playoffs. This year marks the third time in five years these two teams meet in the opening...
The NBA Playoffs are here, and the Eastern Conference first-round ignites with a clash of styles. The Indiana Pacers, boasting the league's top-scoring offense, bring their high-octane attack to Milwaukee to face the experienced Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo's status adds further...
Quinn Priester takes the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates (11-8) when they host starter Brayan Bello and the Boston Red Sox (10-10) at 6:40 PM ET on Friday.If you're intending to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and TV...
Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres (11-10) host George Springer and the Toronto Blue Jays (10-9) at 9:40 PM ET on Friday.The article below will provide you with everything you need to watch San Diego play Toronto.When is...
Michael Conforto and the San Francisco Giants (9-11) host Ketel Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks (9-11) on Friday, with first pitch at 10:15 PM ET.Find out how to watch the San Francisco-Arizona matchup below.When is Giants vs. Diamondbacks and when...
On Friday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers (12-9) versus Sean Manaea and the New York Mets (10-8), with first pitch scheduled for 10:10 PM ET at Dodger Stadium.Find out how to watch the Los...
On Friday, April 19 at 8:10 PM ET, a three-game series featuring the Minnesota Twins and the visiting Detroit Tigers will begin.Twins vs. Tigers Series Info Tigers @ Twins Time: Friday, April 19 at 8:10 PM ET Twins Starting Pitcher:...
NEWSLETTER
