While everyone else is glued into Conference Championship Game Weekend, I’m going to be locked in for my first SIU basketball game since last March’s Arch Madness trip. The Salukis are 0-2 when I see them in Bloomington-Normal. But this is a different time and team, so I’m hoping for a different result. Giddy up!
- What the road to the Super Bowl looks like through the eyes of the Bengals, Chiefs, Eagles, and 49ers.
- One day, the Bears will be headlining a Conference Championship Game preview post. And it might be sooner than you think. Especially if they can trade out of the No. 1 overall pick and rebuild their roster through the picks they accumulate through a trade. ESPN’s Todd McShay believes there will be a bidding war for the pick, and I’m inclined to agree. The Bears don’t need to draft a quarterback after seeing what they did from Justin Fields last year. But there are a handful of teams that do need to find a long-term solution at the position. If the Bears can get the likes of the Texans, Colts, Raiders, and Panthers bidding against each other, then they could come away with an unprecedented haul.
- FWIW: My dream scenario is the Bears trading back with the Texans (who have the Nos. 2 and 12 picks in the first round), Colts (who have the 4th pick), and with the Raiders (7th pick) or Panthers (9th). A triple trade-down isn’t realistic. I’ll admit that much. But if we’re talking about dream scenarios, it is one where Houston determines it MUST pick first, the Colts conclude they must take the second-best QB in the draft before Vegas or Carolina can, and then either Vegas or Carolina goes all in on the third QB off the board. Again, it isn’t a scenario I think is likely. HOWEVER, we’ve seen so many unlikely scenarios play out in recent years that I can’t close off something that has a non-zero chance of happening. You just never know in this league.
- If the Bears *CAN* trade down, their options (at several different spots) are intriguing:
- Here’s the thing about the Bears being in their current position: It is almost impossible to go wrong if you follow the right process. It doesn’t take much to build a case for the Bears drafting an edge rusher, 3-technique defense tackle, offensive line help, or a potential WR1. If only they could draft all of them in the same class. Wouldn’t that be nice?
- To be clear, they can still pick the wrong fit. But there isn’t a position in which Chicago can take a player that will leave you thinking that was a curious and possibly unnecessary selection. That is one of the aspects of the upcoming draft that makes following the buildup fun.
- Again, it’s good to have options:
- Save for the time we did mock stock market watch for an assignment during my grammar school years, the stock market really hasn’t been my thing. But if you were buying stock with upside in the NFC North, you’d probably want to buy low on the Bears right now:
- I can’t believe we’re on a timeline where the Bears and Lions are seen as the potential future of the division. What a time to be alive.
- Some good reading from the Sun-Times’ Mark Potash:
- Last year’s Bears hit a sweet spot for me in terms of keeping games close, providing entertainment (thanks, Justin!), and ultimately falling short of the short-term goal of winning (while simultaneously better positioning themselves for a better future). It was a weird place to be. I remember trying to explain it to The Girlfriend. The quizzical look the first time I laid it out for her was something out of a romcom that would have a theater chuckling. But she ultimately understood the angle (even if she wanted the Bears to win that particular game we were watching). Ideally, the Bears won’t have to live through a tank job like the one we saw last year for a looooooong time.
- There are so many college prospect showcase games that I felt as if it was inevitable that I’d miss one. And I did. The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl took place on Saturday. Jacob Infante (Windy City Gridiron) had eyes on a handful of prospects the Bears would be wise to target. For me, the player I’d like to hear in connection with the Bears is TCU center Alan Ali. Chicago needs to bolster its interior line play, and I feel as if adding a four-year starter (who had previous starting experience as a tackle) with a potential later-round pick could help raise the floor of that position group.
- The Bears reportedly had Packers assistant coach Jerry Gray on their short-list of candidates they were hoping to interview this offseason. But it appears Gray is heading to Atlanta to join the Falcons’ defensive staff:
- Chicago still has a DBs Coach vacancy after the departure of James Rowe. Chris Harris was a person of interest, but he is reportedly set to go to the Titans. Meanwhile, Gray angling to join the Falcons puts the Bears back on the hunt for help.
- Hey, now: Lovie Smith (who has a history coaching defensive backs) is available. Just saying. Don’t the Bears owe him one? 😉
- Even though I understand why the Panthers went in the direction they did in hiring Frank Reich, Steve Wilks still deserves better than what he got in Carolina:
- It’ll look weird (and bad) if the Colts retain interim head coach Jeff Saturday (1-7) on a full-time basis while the Panthers didn’t keep Wilks (6-6).
- Because I know you care, yes, I am having a good time on my mental health weekend:
- I appreciate the Blackhawks being in the football spirit, but giving up a touchdown to the Oilers and losing 7-3 in what looks like a preseason football score isn’t what I had in mind:
- Somehow …
Palpatine returnedthe Bulls won:
- The Rockies are an oddball franchise. And that’s me putting it nicely: