NEWSLETTER
My hope for the Star Wars sequel trilogy is that it becomes a treasure trove of meme content.
And for what it’s worth, I’m willing to do my part:
This isn’t to say the prequels were good. Or that you should even like them. But I’m here for creating memes for the sake of chuckles. We all need more laughter in our lives.
- The Saints are $60,354,996 *OVER* the salary cap, according to OverTheCap.com’s calculations. And yet, they’re still on the hunt for a big fish. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is set to meet with the Saints today. The Pro Bowl QB is done with the Raiders and has been given permission to link up with the Saints to see what they’re about. No trade was imminent as of this morning, but Carr can control his destiny and reconnect with some old Oakland friends who currently coach in New Orleans. The fit makes sense. Even if the cap gymnastics would make McKayla Maroney blush. You can read more on that situation at BN’s NFL coverage here.
- We should be keeping tabs on what is happening in Vegas. And not just because I have summer vacation plans for Sin City. What the Raiders do at quarterback will be of great interest to the Bears. If they opt for a veteran, it would likely put them out of trading up for a quarterback. If I were running the Bears, I’d be in the business of creating as many trade partners as possible. In other words, losing one would sting a bit. With that being said, I’m rooting for the Raiders to fall short of veteran pursuits and instead land an Andy Dalton bridge type. Someone whose presence declares “Yeah, I’m an NFL starter … but not for much longer.”
- Speaking of quarterbacks, here is a Patrick Mahomes update/flashback you didn’t ask for:
- On the one hand, part of me chuckles knowing that somewhere — in a group chat text thread of NFL GMs — Ryan Pace is getting dragged for his ineptitude when it comes to that 2017 first-round pick. But on the other hand, every Mahomes look-back post is a jab to the gut. Justin Fields’ presence softens the blow. Even still … it is exhausting to do this over and over and over and over and over. Can it be over yet?
- This isn’t to say there isn’t a teachable lesson to be taken from this experience. If anything, I hope the big takeaway is that the simple tricks, mind games, unnecessary elusiveness, and treatment of every morsel of information like it is the biggest nuclear secret in the world are pointless. Pace went through all these shenanigans and still got the pick painfully wrong. In hindsight, it is embarrassing. Maybe other general managers will take notice that all of it was for nothing. They probably won’t. But it is fun to dream.
- Some more quarterback chatter for our consumption:
- The most simple way to read the graphic above is that Chicago’s QB1 is the fifth most valuable quarterback who is still on their rookie deal. And the most hilarious way to read the graphic is that Zach Wilson — chosen with the second pick in that same draft class — is pushing out NEGATIVE VALUE. Should I know better to laugh at someone else’s follies? Probably. Is it going to stop me? Not in this case.
“Without a doubt,” Nagy said Monday night at Super Bowl Opening Night when asked if Fields will play in a Super Bowl. “You all saw it this year, what he can do. He’s going to continue to keep growing. However, you want to say it, whatever part of his game. To do what he did from his rookie year to this past year, it’s only going to get better from here. He’s wired the right way. I got to see him firsthand – how he studies, how he practices, his passion for the game. He hates to lose. He’s always been that way.”
- Nagy’s belief in Fields makes sense. His head coaching issues notwithstanding, I can’t deny Nagy knows how to identify quarterback talent. And he knows when a guy isn’t it. But by the end of his coaching tenure in Chicago, it was evident that he wasn’t ready to properly nurture and develop that talent as a head coach. Maybe that’ll change down the road. Perhaps he’ll get another chance. A part of me hopes he gets it. After all, I’d be a hypocrite if I said otherwise given how much I believe in giving folks second chances.
- Maybe Roger Goodell needs better script writers?
- Or better editors? Perhaps both?
- Always love seeing old friends link up:
- The Bears are mourning the loss of Andrew McKenna, who was part of the team’s brass in an executive role and had a share of ownership:
Not gonna lie — I like Michael’s picks:
- I’m curious to know how Bears fans on both sides of the aisle would feel about this:
- This is where the fun begins in terms of trade rumors, but it also marks being one step closer to the end of an era:
- How do you give props to someone who has shattered your basketball fandom dreams? You just gotta tip your cap:
