NEWSLETTER
Somehow, the KFC Double Down returned.
No, seriously. CNN reports KFC is bringing back the sandwich that uses a pair of fried chicken breasts as buns with slices of cheese, bacon, and sauce in between. A 24-year-old Luis was very much into this food oddity. But I’m not sure a 36-year-old Luis has the heart for it.
- It’s all about the Combine right now. The ball began rolling on Tuesday with Bears GM Ryan Poles and Head Coach Matt Eberflus making some interesting commentary. Poles on what the team can do with the first overall pick, while also re-affirming plans to move forward with Justin Fields as QB1. As for Eberflus, his perspective on the Bears’ needs on offense felt telling. More from them later.
- NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport checks in from the Combine with an angle on the Bears:
“This is how you build. You have the No. 1 pick and you don’t need a quarterback, you trade it to someone else for a lot and use those picks to build a foundation. That seems like the plan going forward for the Bears.”
- Yep, that sounds about right to me.
- You’re pumped. I’m pumped. Let’s be pumped together:
- There is plenty of good reading out there from the first day of Combine SZN, so I’d encourage you to clear some time in your schedule to dig in a bit. Chris Emma (Marquee), Adam Jahns (The Athletic), Brad Biggs (Tribune), Josh Schrock (NBC Sports Chicago), and Jason Lieser (Sun-Times) capture the spirit of the thing.
- You probably won’t get a more unique perspective from the Combine than what Greg Braggs will provide. Sure, you might know him as the guy who catches all the cool things that happen in the Bears’ world on video from the perspective of being a fan in the stands. Or maybe you know him as the big-time Purdue enthusiast. You might even know him as the guy who nudges me on Twitter asking about the brownies I promised years ago. But from where I sit, Greg Braggs is a friend. And we love seeing friends of the program shine. So it was cool to see Braggs get an opportunity to cover the Bears at the Combine with CHGO. It is a true testament to finding the balance between being a good soul and a hard worker. I’ll be watching out for his coverage with great interest.
- Soon, we’ll be getting workouts. Mark your calendars, friends:
- If I had to rank them in order of how I want the Bears to prioritize them, it would look like this: quarterbacks, offensive linemen, wide receivers, defensive linemen, defensive backs, running backs, tight ends, and linebackers. Maybe I’d flip tight ends and running backs because there seems to be a bit of a buzz around the tight end position being deep this year. And even though receivers are a top pass-catching priority, the Bears might need to find alternatives if their ideal type of wideouts aren’t available.
- Making it to March feels like an achievement. There are days I didn’t think we’d make it to this moment. But we’re here. And that means the NFL offseason is about to hit another gear. The Combine stuff is fun. However, free agency officially opens its doors two weeks from today. And I’m geeked about it. Time to start boning up on some potential targets:
- SNUB WATCH: David Montgomery, who is the No. 3 RB on Mike Clay’s list above, doesn’t even crack NFL dot com’s top 101 free agents of 2023. Saquon Barkley (10th), Josh Jacobs (16th), Tony Pollard (23rd) all make the top 25. Meanwhile, Miles Sanders (56th), Damien Harris (70th), Jamaal Williams (79th), Devin Singletary (86th), Raheem Mostert (87th), and Alexander Mattison (91st) all make the cut. I’m not sure what Monty did to deserve this fate, but I can’t make strong cases for Singletary, Mostert, and Pattison making the list while keeping Montgomery off of it.
- Patrick is keeping tabs on which players won’t be making it to free agency because they are getting the Franchise Tag. (BN NFL)
- I’ll set my DVR:
- The greatest American hockey player I’ve ever seen lace ’em up is no longer a member of the Blackhawks:
- Baseball is better without umpires:
- Finally, an answer to the question of what are you doing, Dragic? Leaving. That’s what:
