NEWSLETTER
Good morning. We made it to January 31. Or, let me put it differently: I made it to January 31. There were days I wasn’t sure I’d make it this far, but I did. And I’m glad. Before I dig into football stuff, I wanted to take time to thank you (yes, you!) for rocking with us during what has been the most tumultuous, stressful, and emotionally draining stretch of my life. Onward to February.
- Patrick Mahomes thought he was going to be a Bear back in 2017. No, really. Well, at least that’s the story Patrick Mahomes Sr. is telling folks. This clip from 670 The Score’s “Parkins and Spiegel Show” will be a gut punch to many Bears fans:
- “He thought he was going to be a Bear,” Mahomes Sr. said. “And then once they traded up and got Mitch, it kind of hurt him. It really did.”
- Because I have a Simpsons reference for EVERYTHING:
- The Bears passing on Mahomes being the origin story of his villain arc is kinda funny. Or at least, it would be if the Bears weren’t on the short end of the stick.
- On the one hand, I thought we were past re-visiting this. Firstly, the Bears have since moved on by drafting Justin Fields in 2021. A large swath of fans seeming to be happy with Fields (particularly after last year’s performance) had me thinking we were past this. But on the other hand, I really thought we were beyond looking back on this because we’d been down this road before.
- In mid-April (in 2017), the Bears had a workout and private meeting with Mahomes. And days before the 2017 NFL Draft, Mahomes’ agent told what was then the “Spiegel and Parkins Show” that the Bears were showing a “fair degree of interest” in the Texas Tech product. We’ve since learned that Mahomes was second behind Mitch Trubisky on the Bears draft board and that the Bears were “very thoroughly” scouting Mahomes during the pre-draft process. Not thorough enough for my liking. But hey, sometimes even the smartest people do all the important leg work and still make the wrong decision. Picking Trubisky over Mahomes is an example of that — which is the greatest example of overthinking I can possibly come up with at this time. And overthinking is never good for anyone. My wonderful Dosta taught me that one hour into our first date. I love when life lessons are applicable to NFL things.
- No, I don’t want to go down the rabbit hole in which you make me choose between Mahomes and Fields. However, I will say this: If the Trubisky pick was equivalent to us paying a penance so the Bears could take Fields later, then I can live with it (if Fields becomes the QB we think he can be).
- Bills QB Josh Allen is so good, he has become nearly impossible to criticize. But Bills GM Brandon Beane has one nit to pick:
- I’m sharing this partly because we’ll probably have a conversation like this regarding Fields in a few years. Don’t get me wrong. Yours truly loves watching Fields in space. Watching him out-run defenders is mesmerizing. And I love when he lowers his shoulder and dishes out a hit to gain a few extra yards. However, those are dangerous plays because they’re putting him at risk of injury. Then again, every NFL snap is one where you risk injury. Even still … we’d like Fields to make some more plays to the pocket to alleviate that risk. Of course, it would help to have a line as good as the Bills and a receiver as skilled as Stefon Diggs for Fields to target.
- Speaking of offensive lineman, North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch is about to become your favorite Senior Bowl prospect:
- Let it be known that the Bears did hella work at the Senior Bowl last year and the result was drafting four standouts from that event:
- All four of these players have roles on the 2023 team as second-year players. Braxton Jones currently stands as the team’s starting left tackle. Things can change between now and Week 1’s kickoff, but Jones is in the catbird’s seat after playing well enough to earn All-Rookie honors. Velus Jones Jr. might not be a top-3 receiver in the Bears rotation, but he can be a useful offensive asset (in addition to his return game prowess) if he works on his ball security this offseason. Dominique Robinson can still be a rotational pass-rusher who still has the upside for more. Meanwhile, Ja’Tyre Carter remains a developmental project. All in all, that wasn’t a bad Senior Bowl haul. How about doing it again?
- This is one of my favorite Twitter accounts and I wanted to share it with you this morning:
- Hot take: Walter Payton would’ve thrived in the social media era. Dude was always smiling and joking with his teammates. He would’ve been a blast to follow.
- Choose your fighter:
- Aidan Hutchinson is the easy choice for me. But Packers CB Jaire Alexander and Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown were worthwhile honorable mentions. I’ll admit that I overlooked Lions RT Penei Sewell, but he is also deserving of consideration.
- There is only one correct answer here:
- Don’t shoot the messenger, but if you’re talking strictly fantasy football value, then you’re going to prioritize volume and opportunity. And because no one ran the ball like the Bears in 2022, the Bears are the correct answer. From a non-fantasy football perspective, Josh Jacobs’ fit is debatable. And, frankly, I’d like to dig into it at some point.
- Notable: It was a different regime, but I still find it notable that the Bears met with Jacobs during the pre-draft process in 2019. I hope Ryan Pace left Ryan Poles the codes to get into the prospect archive files.
- While old friends are on our mind, there appear to be conflicting reports regarding Vic Fangio’s next landing spot. Alex Shapiro (NBC Sports Chicago) has a rundown.
- Oh, so we’re just letting anyone into the Pro Bowl now, eh?
- Here is a free idea from me to the NFL: Let the fans choose who gets to replace guys who opt out from the Pro Bowl games. By doing so, it keeps the prestige of earning Pro Bowl status while also allowing Tyler Huntley types to make it in a pinch if certain guys can’t go. Maybe this could be a fun way to discover new, up-and-coming players.
- I needed this more than I care to admit:
- A hockey trade that has some Blackhawks implications:
- Rounding up the rumor mill on the NBA side of things:
- Oops! The word “valuable” is misspelled on the Cy Young winners’ awards that were given out. (Baseball Is Fun)
