A friend of mine dropped something in the suggestion box recently and now I’m putting it to use. For your viewing pleasure, these are the games that will be on locally in Chicago while you await the Bears taking the field against the Chargers on Sunday Night Football:
CBS-TV, noon: Jaguars at Steelers
FOX-TV, noon: Vikings at Packers
CBS-TV, 3:25: Bengals at 49ers
One of our blindspots (as a collective football fandom) is the assumption that everyone has access to NFL Sunday Ticket … or Red Zone … or some other streaming service that gives them access to all games. The truth is that there is a healthy chunk of football fans who are limited to whatever games are on their local television affiliates. I’ll try to be more mindful of that as we move on in this season (and in future campaigns).
The bad thing about the Bears playing a primetime game is that we have to wait all day for Sunday night. But the good thing about them playing on Sunday Night Football is that we get to sleep in a little more on a Sunday morning. You take the good with the bad (especially when you’ve had the sleep issues I’ve had this year).
I like how Bears Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy framed Tyson Bagent’s first start:
“Just the fact that we were able to go out there and operate clean,” Getsy said, via 670 The Score. “He went out and kept his poise like we expected him to do. He did a really nice job of handling — it’s not just the pass game, it’s the run game that we put a lot on our quarterbacks to do a lot. He obviously went out there and showed he was able to do that.”
It’s not as if Bagent’s debut was anything special. But a win is a win. And it gives him some runway to see what he can do the second time around. With that being said, I’m looking forward to seeing Bagent’s encore performance on SNF. Let’s build some solid performances and then go from there. No need to make Bagent into something he isn’t after just one start.
As for Justin Fields, he is making progress as rehab on his dislocated thumb continues. “It’s good. Yeah, it’s good,” said Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus, via NBC Sports Chicago. “He’s progressing. We’re happy with where he is. Again, he’s working with the trainers still this week, and we’ll give a better update on Monday.”
That Eberflus offered the note about having an update on Monday is encouraging, especially since he once talked about Fields’ thumb injury as a week-to-week thing. The Bears should probably ride the Bagent train until Fields is fully healthy. And they probably shouldn’t give the keys back to Fields until he can prove he is fully healthy. But that feels like a different conversation for another time.
This got thrown into the group chat this morning…
Justin Fields and Michael Vick have had remarkably similar starts to their career. pic.twitter.com/T8NMDkgO3U
…and it got me thinking that the way to get the most out of Justin Fields is to follow in the footsteps of what Andy Reid did with Mike Vick when he landed in Philadelphia. If only Chicago employed a Reid disciple to carry out that game plan.
Also: Vick’s raw numbers don’t really do him justice. I’d like to think Vick’s numbers would’ve been better had he played in an era where offensive systems would’ve truly embraced and amplified his skillset. Imagine what Vick could’ve done with modern offensive innovation and rules protecting quarterbacks. Dude would’ve been a real-life version of a video game cheat code.
Eli Ong (WGN TV) reminds us that even though the Bears looked good against the Raiders, they’ve still got much to work on. It is a good bit of perspective got keep in times like these.
One thing I’ve liked that Matt Eberflus has done since Alan Williams’ resignation is allow other defensive assistants to fill in that media availability slot that the defensive coordinator usually occupies. It has been interesting to hear the different viewpoints of various position coaches. For instance, I’m digging Linebackers Coach Dave Borgonzi’s outlook on an improving Bears defense:
“Sometimes, it takes a little bit,” Borgonzi said, via 670 The Score. “And you can really see the defense these last few weeks, we’re playing fast, we’re playing physical. It’s not about the call, it’s about the execution. It’s not like we’re inventing new calls or anything. It’s the same defense we played last year. We’re just executing it better, and part of that too I think is that guys are more comfortable in the system.”
My takeaways from that snippet: (1) Matt Eberflus is actually flourishing in his job calling plays, (2) I have doubts that this Bears defense would’ve made changes for the better if Williams was still around, and (3) maybe regulars should’ve played more in the preseason if it has taken all this time for guys to get comfortable in the system.
I didn’t realize that Bears running backs D’Onta Foreman and Darrynton Evans had a deeper connection. Learning about this adds an extra layer to Chicago’s backfield. Good stuff from Bears writer Gabby Hajduk (and a good Sunday read while football is on in the background).
Just because the Bears don’t play until after sunset doesn’t mean you can’t get some early wagers in. Over at BN’s NFL wing, Matt has Week 8 NFL picks, props, and best bets. Wager responsibly, friends:
The Bulls leaning into continuity in 2023 is going how you thought it might. And that isn’t a good thing. Eli has last night’s EBS after another mind-numbing loss by Chicago’s basketball team.
Death, taxes, and Tab dropping some Steve Larmer knowledge on the 28th day of the month. A look back at yesterday’s post from our friends at BN Blackhawks to close out this set of Bears Bullets:
Steve Larmer never faced the "Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes." But he has "official" stats against them, because he dominated the OG Winnipeg Jets. This month's 28 on 28 looks as how Gramps flew against the (original) Jetshttps://t.co/I0tSiTPjJN#Blackhawks#Retire28pic.twitter.com/N59xDzvdRk— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) October 28, 2023
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