We’re under triple digits, folks. There are just 99 days until I get to see Taylor Swift at Soldier Field this summer.
Hey now! Justin Fields isn’t the only primetime performer I enjoy seeing show out on the lakefront.
Sighs. Somehow … Palpatine Aaron Rodgers returned from the darkness:
The room in which Aaron Rodgers spent his time is a partially underground, Hobbit-like structure with 300 square feet of space, devoid of light, with a queen bed, a bathroom and a meditation-like mat on the floor, via @Xuan_Thai:https://t.co/g5iDDeOmBV— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 23, 2023
As someone who had friends and mentors in the industry, the life of an investigative reporter is unlike anything I could imagine. But even with my imagination, I can’t wrap my mind around being an investigative reporter around this Rodgers story. It’s unlike anything my brain can comprehend. Then again, that’s fitting for the dark energy that surrounds Rodgers.
There is no immediate word if the groundhog Rodgers saw his shadow or if we’re stuck with six more weeks of winter being inundated with will he or won’t he rumors.
Rodgers returning to Green Bay is the belief of just one Packers source who relayed that feeling to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington. On the one hand, it is tough for me to type out the words “this could be the best outcome for Bears fans” without feeling like I’m spitting into the wind. But on the other hand, Rodgers turning Green Bay into a circus as his production declines while his salary handcuffs the Packers would be fun to follow. Not to mention all of those things conspiring to sink That Team in Wisconsin would be a best-case scenario. Just saying … sometimes the bad things can be good.
OK, I’ve had enough Rodgers chatter for one morning. How about a palate cleanser?
This early-season wow moment was at the beginning of a strong stretch of games for Mooney after a slow start. Mooney went from catching four passes for 27 yards in his first three games to grabbing 36 passes for 466 yards and scoring two touchdowns in his next eight games. Mooney could’ve rounded out a solid year had it not been for a season-ending injury. But that he was turning it around is reason enough to believe in a bounce-back year being on the horizon in 2023.
In Brad Biggs’ latest mailbag at the Tribune, he serves up a reminder that the Bears don’t necessarily need a WR1 or five all-world offensive linemen to have a better passing game in 2023 than they did in 2022. All you have to do is look at what the New York Giants did with Daniel Jones and a collection of pass-catchers who aren’t known game-breakers or linemen who aren’t necessarily Canton-bound:
(T)he Giants certainly squeezed a good deal of production out of a poor group of wide receivers. That is a credit to position coach Mike Groh, a former Bears assistant. He did a really nice job with Isaiah Hodgins, Richie James and a cast of others. You could make a case you would rather have players such as Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney. The Giants did a solid job offensively for quarterback Daniel Jones and no doubt have issues to fix on the line. O-line rankings are really difficult to follow too closely. Yes, the Bears’ rankings are generally much higher than anyone who watched them regularly would agree with. I would say their passing offense was a mess all the way around, quarterback included, and that’s an area in which they need to improve in 2023.
When you see it put in this way, it is also a reminder of how the Bears underperformed in 2022. Some of it was due to quarterback play. Fields wasn’t always the most accurate. And he wasn’t always making the best decisions with his throws. But there were plenty of reasons why the passing game wasn’t deserving of a passing grade. It truly was an all-around mess. And it was different things at different times. Ideally, a full offseason in the offense, a well-rounded out roster, and internal improvements from returning players gets this thing going in the right direction.
Maybe what the Bears really need is a receivers room that has a high floor. A group of pass catchers that has depth, ability, and room for growth. Would I like a receivers room with six All-Pros? Absolutely. But there is more than just one way to build a receivers room. And if the Bears can’t snag a legit WR1, they better be ready to embrace alternative paths to creating a cromulent group. Otherwise, we’re in for another offseason of trying to get a grip on who JF1 is because of a failure in team building.
*Pulls back the curtain* I don’t plan on doing this for every receiver who makes it to free agency. But when the Bears (1) have a need and (2) were recently connected to the player, then I think it’s worth bringing up for discussion. And sometimes, it is good to just have a discourse about possibilities. Isn’t that what it is all about when you gather around the football hot stove?
Some notable countdowns you should want to keep tabs on right now:
☀️ Good morning! ☀️
Here are some important NFL things coming up on the calendar:
1⃣2⃣ days until the deadline for teams to designate Franchise or Transition Tag players 2⃣0⃣ days until the new league year begins & free agency opens 6⃣3⃣ days until the NFL Draft pic.twitter.com/0i3w78lseY— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) February 23, 2023
The NFL really doesn’t stop, does it?
This is where the fun begins (with Patrick’s NFL offseason previews):
Ryan Poles and the #Bears have the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and oodles of cap space. How will they deploy it? https://t.co/3SUCtXLmva— Bleacher Nation NFL (@BN_Touchdown) February 23, 2023
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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NEWSLETTER
