Just one more day until the Chicago Bears play a meaningful football game. But first, a set of Bullets while I wait for a second cup of coffee to brew.
- We’re still waiting on more updates from further testing of Packers quarterback Jordan Love’s leg injury. It is a potential game-changer for the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback. Stay tuned.
- I saw there was a pocket of people who were blaming the field conditions for Love’s injury. And while I am not a doctor or a field turf expert, the play that injured Green Bay’s QB1 could’ve occurred on any surface. Lambeau Field? Soldier Field? MetLife Stadium? Rollup plays happen. They stink. I hate that they happen. This isn’t to say that the field didn’t look crummy. There was far too much slipping and sliding going on in that game. But to claim the turf did that to Jordan Love is straight-up illogical.
- With that being said, I hope the NFL sees this as an opportunity to raise its standards for field turf — both at home and abroad. This league is full of billion-dollar entities employing million-dollar athletes. Why should players be subject to sub-standard playing surfaces? All things considered, we should consider ourselves lucky that we didn’t see more serious injuries due to that turf condition.
- Don’t think that because it took me four Bullet points to mention that it is a travesty that the NFL spreads its fans thin with each standalone game it puts on a streaming platform. I’d say it’s a joke, but jokes are supposed to be funny. Not everything needs to be a cash grab (even though the NFL clearly doesn’t feel that way).
- There are obvious “it’s just one game” caveats to be made here, but Saquon Barkley looked great in his Eagles debut. Watching Saquon put up 132 scrimmage yards (including a 109-yard rushing game) and 3 total scores against the Packers gives me runway to to point out that I was very much in favor of bringing him on board with this Bears offense. Heck, the Bears were actually pretty close to making that happen. Don’t get me wrong. I think D’Andre Swift is going to do some good work in the new scheme. But Barkley’s Philly debut reminds us he is an explosive playmaker — and I hope it reminds others that running back groupthink is overrated.
- Happy Saturday! If you’re not doing anything, cozy up and watch this video about Cairo Santos’ journey from Brazil to the NFL:
- Some of those post-Robbie Gould years were lean. But I’m glad Cairo Santos is on the Bears now.
- More things you’ll want to watch: College football announcers calling a rabbit invasion during the Duke-Northwestern game. (Awful Announcing)
- A Bears fan who is a Navy officer is set to take part in the Week 1 flyover at Soldier Field. (WGN News)
- Something to watch for tomorrow: ESPN’s Turron Davenport reports Tennessee Titans tight end Josh Whyle will wear the Guardian Cap over his helmet. In doing so, he’ll be one of the first players to wear it in a regular-season game. So, no matter how you slice it, Week 1 will be a historic one at Soldier Field.
- ESPN’s Adam Schefter shares the news that NBC’s Chiefs-Ravens opener on Thursday was the NFL’s most-watched regular-season opener ever. As Patrick writes in his Around the NFL post, those fans were treated to something special. Even this Bears fan found himself enjoying that one.
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- OPE! It sounds like Nikola VuÄević hasn’t bought into the Chicago Bulls’ new look. Should he? (BN Bulls)
- Over at BN Blackhawks, Tab tells us how to keep up with Chicago Blackhawks college prospects this season.
- The Anthony Rizzo tribute stuff on Friday pulled every emotional string in my body: