Caleb Williams’ Wrigley Debut, Remembering Bob Avellini, Some Lance Briggs Love, and Other Bears Bullets

bears qb Caleb Williams with Cole Kmet at Wrigley field

Your Sunday serving of Bears Bullets is a collection of random thoughts powered by a bowl of Cocoa Krispies I had this morning. Because, sometimes, you just have to get your favorite childhood cereal when it’s on sale just to remember those good vibes.

  • On a weekend that featured Kendrick Lamar and Drake exchanging haymakers, and Star Wars movies playing around the clock, Caleb Williams witnessing a Cubs win against the Brewers in his Wrigley Field debut is the highlight of this weekend for me:
  • OK, so the Cubs bullpen almost blew it in the end. They didn’t. And because they didn’t, Caleb Williams (and the rest of the Bears who were with him on Saturday) didn’t get to see Wrigley Field turn from admiring cheers to a house of boos. Instead, Caleb got a glimpse of what Summertime Chi is all about — good vibes on a sun-splashed afternoon.
  • My big takeaway from Saturday’s baseball shenanigans was that I was reminded of how easy it could be for Caleb Williams to have this city eating out of the palm of his hand. That man hasn’t even taken a mini-camp snap yet and is getting standing ovations from Cubs fans while living the suite life at Wrigley Field. Watching the Cubs beating the Brewers on Saturday was cool. Now, imagine what it could be like if Chicago’s football team could beat That Team From Wisconsin on the gridiron.
  • On the one hand, I’m not trying to read too much into who was there in the suite with Caleb Williams. But on the other hand, I love that his left tackle (Braxton Jones), top two receivers (Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore), and top tight end (Cole Kmet) were in attendance. That’s your blindside protection and security blankets all in one room. Plus, Cole can give Caleb the 4-1-1 on the life of a Chicago sports fan. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in that suite.
  • Please don’t misconstrue this Bullet as a shot at Justin Fields. With that being said, I want to point out one stat I find to be particularly interesting. Fields was 52/65 (80%) for 540 yards (8.3 yards/attempt) when targeting Cole Kmet. Fields threw 4 TD, 1 INT, and posted a 115.4 passer rating when targeting his tight end. When throwing to D.J. Moore, Fields was 72/101 (71.3%) for 1,109 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Fields averaged 11.0 yards/attempt and had a 129.5 passer rating while targeting his top receiver.
  • I think it would be unfair to expect Caleb Williams to put up those numbers in Year 1. But (1) it wouldn’t surprise me and (2) I think those stats give us a baseline for expectations for a quarterback whose strengths include ball placement and distribution.
  • Some love for Lance Briggs via the folks running the @BearsMarquee account on Twitter:
  • I think Bears fans have a good handle on how good (and important) Lance Briggs was in Chicago. But nationally, Briggs seems to be underrated. Playing in Brian Urlacher’s shadow probably has something to do with it. But Briggs was an All-Pro in 2005 and earned seven Pro Bowl nods during his Bears career. He had eight seasons with at least 100 total tackles (including two years with 100+ solo stops) and finished his career with 16 forced fumbles, 16 interceptions, and six defensive touchdowns. What a career!
  • The No. 55 has been good to Bears linebackers over the years. And if the Bears ever get around to making a ring of honor, Lance Briggs and Doug Buffone (who wore No. 55 while with the Bears from 1966-1979) should be included.
  • Bob Avellini, a Chicago Bears quarterback from 1975-84, has passed away. Brad Biggs (Tribune) points out that Avellini was the quarterback for a chunk of the Walter Payton era. Mark Potash (Sun-Times) writes Avellini was “a gritty, gutty overachiever” who “provided stability at quarterback in 1975-77 when much of his role was staying out of Payton’s way.” Avellini played in 73 games (50 starts) with the Bears and even led them to a postseason appearance in 1977.
  • The Bears issued a statement in the wake of the news of Avellini’s passing: “Bob was one-of-kind, a fierce and tough competitor. He’s perhaps best remembered for leading the Bears on an improbable run in 1977 to our first postseason appearance in fourteen years. He will be missed.”
  • Jordan Rodrigue pulled back the curtain on the Los Angeles Rams’ NFL Draft process, and it was one of the most interesting things I read last week. (The Athletic)
  • NFL Network is in the midst of undergoing a bunch of notable changes. Among them (per the NY Post) is the parting of ways with Michael Irvin, the Hall of Fame receiver who has been with the network for 15 years. I’m not sure what direction the football media behemoth will go moving forward, but I’m intrigued. Although, I don’t love that the league’s flagship station has been cutting ties with a chunk of its talent. There are good people out there doing good stuff who don’t deserve to lose their jobs for cost-cutting reasons when the league reels in record profits on a yearly basis.
  • BLEACHER NATION ON FACEBOOK: Bears | Cubs | Blackhawks | Bulls

  • Hockey Canada announced its World Championship roster, which includes Chicago Blackhawks sensation Connor Bedard. (BN Blackhawks)
  • Over at BN Cubs, Michael wants to discuss Chicago Cubs prospect Cade Horton making his Triple-A debut. It certainly feels like we’re witnessing the start of a youth movement on the Chicago sports scene. Caleb Williams, Connor Bedard, and Angel Reese are headliners, to be sure. But if Cade Horton develops into a legitimate ace, the Cubs are also in business. This feels like a good time to be a Chicago sports fan (well, for some).
  • It was inevitable: Lonzo Ball exercised his player option to remain with the Chicago Bulls. Ball has missed the entirety of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons after playing just 35 games for the team in the 2021-22 season. Sigh. The Bulls looked great when Lonzo was healthy. But have fallen on hard times since the injuries.
  • written by

    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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