Meet the Money Badger, Velus Time, Getsy on the Defensive, Who Trusts Fields? And Other Bears Bullets

Luis C. Medina

Oct 02, 2022

A Bears win would complete a weekend sweep of football teams I root for snatching dubs. Although, my preference would be to not have to sweat it out like I did with SIU flirting with coughing up a 19-0 halftime lead. I’ll even deal with a Bears win if the running game is the primary focus of the offense. But only if they do what Lane Tech did yesterday in busting out the Wing-T on Fritz Pollard Day. That really took me back.

We’ve been busy early today. We’ve got write-ups on the Bears not having Cairo Santos in the kicking game and receiver Velus Jones Jr. being set to make his regular-season debut with the team today against the Giants.

I’m so ready. And so is Velus:

Thank you God! Let’s play some ball🙏🏾
— Velus Jones Jr.⚡️ (@VelusJr) October 2, 2022

Here’s hoping Santos’ personal issues get resolved and that all is well in his world soon. And here’s to Jones making a strong first impression in his first-ever regular season game. Lots of emotions out there today.

There’s also this:

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. —

Windy. pic.twitter.com/nlA2REopvf
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) October 2, 2022

Kicker Michael Badgley, who signed onto the practice squad yesterday and was immediately flexed onto the active roster, will have his work cut out for him today as he deals with the unforgiving New Jersey winds. Even though he has played his entire career in the AFC and has kicked twice against the Jets, Badgley has yet to kick at MetLife Stadium (which is home to both the Jets and Giants). That leaves me with some concern as I consider the weather conditions. For whatever it’s worth, Pro-Football-Reference’s data has Badgley with an 85.1% success rate (40-for-47) on kick attempts made in “outdoor” games. How about we tack a few more percentage points onto that today?

Punters will be at the mercy of the wind, which means we’ll be keeping an eye on how seventh-round rookie Trenton Gill handles the adverse conditions. And, of course, we’ll have tabs on how the return specialists make it through. It sure would be nice to see Velus do something like this in his debut (wind and all):

I know we’re gonna think about Velus primarily as a receiver. But #DaBears could use this kind of juice in the return game. pic.twitter.com/dYIibETbQB— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) October 2, 2022

Also dealing with the windy conditions? Today’s quarterbacks. On the one hand, windy conditions lend themselves to a ground-and-pound attack. But on the other hand, I’m growing weary of finding reasons for Justin Fields not to sling it. An ultra-conservative approach might help the Bears win games (which, winning is good for the soul, player confidence, and a coaching staff trying to establish a new culture) in the short term, but Fields’ development could be beneficial to winning games over the long term. At minimum, it would sure be nice if we started to get a better feel for if Fields is a long-term solution at the position.

The optimist in me hopes that the clean slate that comes with flipping the calendar from September to October will provide a fresh space from which Fields can grow. September was flat out ugly. Every stat imaginable was ugly. Rather than re-hash them line by line, we’ll leave it at that and consider this the dawn of a new day. The re-evaluation process resumes on Monday morning. Deal?

I’m here for the little things, such as showing some confidence in allowing Fields to throw. Earlier in the week, Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy was on the defensive in answering questions about Fields’ lack of pass attempts:

Luke Getsy shoots back to the idea that the Bears' offense reflects a lack of faith in Justin Fields: "We do what we feel is best to help our team play a team football game to help us win games. … We got to do what's best across the board to take advantage of matchups."— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) September 29, 2022

Unfortunately, this statement doesn’t do much to inspire confidence. The idea of winning football games by the skin of your teeth on the back of strong defense and a powerful rushing game isn’t sustainable in the modern era of football. At some point, quarterbacks need to make plays to pull out close games. Are the Bears doing the best they can in developing Fields by shielding him from throwing? How is he supposed to build a risk calculus? And how is he supposed to grow as a passer? I just have so many questions.

Also … that response really does nothing to refute the notion that the braintrust doesn’t trust Fields. I have my concerns, but I hope they are silenced (in one way or another) sooner or later.

I’ll tell you who doesn’t trust Fields, sports books:

Justin Fields' passing yards prop is 148.5 this week against the Giants.

It's believed to be the lowest yardage total for any starting NFL QB in the HISTORY of FanDuel Sportsbook 😱#DaBears | #NFL pic.twitter.com/103fwkqM1p— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) October 1, 2022

While one side hopes the Bears offensive line can keep Fields upright, the team on the other side of the field hopes its line can hold off a sleeping giant. Through three games, Robert Quinn has just 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 1 tackle-for-loss. Not that I was expecting Quinn to replicate his record-setting 2021, but the slow start isn’t ideal. What better day to get on the good foot and do the bad thing than today against a Giants team that has allowed Daniel Jones to take 13 sacks and 29 quarterback hits in the first three games.

Reunion party:

John Mara chatting with Ryan Poles on the field. Poles interviewed for the Giants' GM job before he got the Bears job and the Giants hired Joe Schoen.— Tom Rock (@TomRock_Newsday) October 2, 2022

The latest in the Tua Tagovailoa situation:

Tua Tagovailoa is expected to be interviewed early this week in the NFL and NFLPA's joint investigation of the injured Dolphins QB's quick return to last weekend's game against the Bills, sources told @AdamSchefter. https://t.co/ysdDNXWByz— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 2, 2022

Tua adjacent — some important news from NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport and a worthwhile thread from his teammate, fellow reporter Tom Pelissero:

The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to parameters of updated concussion protocols. What does it all mean and what's next?

Story from me and @TomPelissero:https://t.co/gGRKx0kSFk— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 2, 2022

NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills says NFL and NFLPA experts are still discussing final language and unintended consequences of the new concussion protocol, but makes clear it'll emphasize the conservative approach: "Our goal is to get them out and not let them play."— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 2, 2022

If the league starts fining for excessive sexiness, then I’m in trouble:

The NFL fined #Lions RB Jamaal Williams $13,261 for excessive sexiness — I mean, unsportsmanlike conduct — on his touchdown dance last week.

That's $3,315.25 per pump. pic.twitter.com/W5FZJdcIem— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 1, 2022

When college football isn’t conspiring to give me heartburn, it showcases some straight-up magical plays:

YOU'RE KIDDING @jaivianlofton 😱
One-handed, in the back of the end-zone.

🔥 TOUCHDOWN FLAMES 🔥 pic.twitter.com/MBcymM2O5X
— Liberty Football (@LibertyFootball) October 1, 2022

Good night, sweet prince:

That’s It for Tony La Russa, Who Will Reportedly Retirehttps://t.co/0m0YNgGOix pic.twitter.com/Hlm2mBrqUr
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) October 2, 2022

If this was me, I wouldn’t stand for this:

Kayaker 'Dave' Comes from OUT OF NOWHERE to Swipe a McCovey Cove Ballhttps://t.co/zM2zy9gGft pic.twitter.com/3hFXZE7fkN
— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) October 2, 2022

Someone has big plans for the Blackhawks this season:

Andreas Athanasiou Wants to Play the Blackhawks Right Out of the Top Pick in the Drafthttps://t.co/37ABn26uUp pic.twitter.com/3PK0FrX50J— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) October 1, 2022

written by

Luis C. Medina

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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