Highlights of H1M, Georgia’s Blocking Bulldogs, RRH vs. KC, Potential Harris Homecoming, Who’s Gonna Catch? And Other Bears Bullets

I’m starting to busy my mind with other things. Cleaning projects are on the agenda for this weekend. Maybe some bedroom rearrangements. Scrapbooking is something that’ll come down the line. Laundry? Building a TV cabinet wasn’t on my calendar today, but it’s on the to-do list. Just racking up things to do to distract me from the things I was planning on doing today.

  • Happy Friday, let’s enjoy some Justin Fields highlights:
  • Those 44 seconds are exactly what I was needing on a gloomy and gray Friday. I’m bookmarking that tweet for future deployment on bummer days.
  • Remember when Fields truck-sticked a pair of Lions defenders? That one was a doozy:
  • I can’t wait until we have some more passing highlights from Fields in the years to come. It isn’t that he can’t pass. Or even that he doesn’t want to throw the ball. But there were so many times when things broke down at the line of scrimmage and it made running a necessity. And there were a bunch of times when receivers’ inability to create separation led to Fields scrambling. Sure, Fields can work on anticipatory throws. And I suppose he could decide to chuck up some more 50-50 balls. However, I’d rather have Fields create with his legs than throw a risky pass. Especially with this collection of receivers.
  • In case you were curious, these are the wideouts currently on the Bears’ roster and under contract for next year: Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Velus Jones Jr., and Equanimeous St. Brown. If you want to get technical, we can add Daurice Fountain, Joe Reed, and Nsimba Webster to that group because they’re on reserve/future contracts. This isn’t a group that (as currently constructed) will help Fields take his game to another level as a passer. There are some useful pieces. Mooney and Claypool have high enough floors (while still maintaining some upside). The VJJ pick can still be salvageable. St. Brown is a nice back-of-the-depth chart receiver. But it is so clear there is something missing. And it is so obvious what it is. How the Bears go about getting it remains to be seen. But I’m here to follow along that journey.
  • Yes, I know what you’re thinking. The Bears need offensive line help. No argument here. We’ve only been banging that drum since the Ryan Pace era. With that in mind, I’ll take one Broderick Jones. Please and thank you:
  • The Georgia product might be the first offensive lineman off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft. And even though I don’t think he is in the running to be chosen with the No. 1 overall pick, I can envision a scenario where Jones is an option if the Bears trade down enough.
  • And to think, Jones isn’t the only standout blocker the national championship-winning Bulldogs were deploying last year:
  • No sacks allowed, eh? Is it skill? Or scheme? Could it be a combination of both? Where does the level of competition come into play? Nevertheless, it is an impressive factoid from the college football scene.
  • An old friend might be the X-factor in taking down the Chiefs this weekend:
  • ICYMI, this was Roy Robertson-Harris’ stat line in last week’s playoff game against the Chargers: 1 sack, 5 solo tackles, 4 tackles-for-loss, 2 QB hits. That’s the good stuff.
  • So … why did the Bears let RRH go? Well, a few things. The cap crunch was starting to get to the team by the time Robertson-Harris hit free agency. And when he was on his way out the door, Chicago’s football team was pretty set up front. Think about who the Bears had rushing the passer and in the trenches at the time. Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, Akiem Hicks, and Bilal Nichols were established. Eddie Goldman was coming back from taking the year off. Trevis Gipson was a young, developing player on the rise. It left RRH as the odd-man out. But, hey, at least it is working out for him in Jacksonville. To me, that is a testament to the player and the coaches who were aiding in his development along the way.
  • Speaking of old friends, Ed Donatell is no longer the Vikings’ defensive coordinator. Donatell, who was in the running for that gig in 2019 after Vic Fangio left to be the Broncos’ head coach, lasted just one year in Minnesota.
  • FWIW: The Bears *DO* have a coaching position to fill. And they’re lining up interview requests with another old friend (Chris Harris) and a current Packers assistant (Jerry Gray).
  • Something to keep an eye on here when it comes to Harris:
  • The Bulls were ballin’ in Paris:
  • Former Cubs (and 2016 World Series champions) Aroldis Chapman and Tommy La Stella found new teams. (BN Cubs)
  • Some Friday fun from our friends at BN Blackhawks:
  • written by

    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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