Day 27 of the Chicago Bears offseason. I’m wondering where “Saturday (Oooh! Oooh!)” by Ludacris would rank on a list of songs whose titles are days of the week.
- The Chicago Bears are celebrating Black History Month in a variety of unique ways including player testimonials on legacy, a virtual history tour, and a Black history tour of Chicago with noted urban historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas. I’m looking forward to the content that will be coming our way this month.
- Happy Senior Bowl Day! We spent time earlier in the week exploring Bears GM Ryan Poles’ history scouting and drafting prospects from the annual college football all-star showcase and highlighted some prospects worth watching. Give me all the dudes in the trenches and all the fast-twitch playmakers on the outside, please.
- If Brandon Thorn is jotting down offensive linemen who stood out to them, you should take note of it and store it in your memory banks:
- If you were wondering why new Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson retained Special Teams Coordinator Richard Hightower, the team’s official website noted that Hightower’s unit ranked fifth in the NFL in DVO this past season. We discussed some other reasons here.
- Let’s pile on while we have a moment. Do you remember how it looked when it appeared as if Bears players looked disincentivized to play for their head coach? Well, that didn’t happen on special teams. That group got better and played with more energy as the year went on. This quote from safety Jonathan Owens captures the spirit of the thing:
“Nobody motivates the team like he does. He makes you want to go run through a wall for him. I can’t wait to get back to work and finish what we started. I appreciate [Hightower] for always believing in me.”
CHICAGO BEARS 2024 EXIT INTERVIEWS: JONATHAN OWENS
- Defensive tackle Andrew Billings is easy to root for:
- ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter/X) that Chris Harris is joining the New York Jets coaching staff as the team’s pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach. Harris will join Aaron Glenn’s staff. And in doing so, he will be reunited with Steve Wilks — who was Harris’ position coach with the Bears from 2006-08.
- Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes that the idea of Aaron Rodgers joining the Las Vegas Raiders makes little sense. And on the one hand, I understand where Florio is coming from. But on the other hand, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Bears get one last crack at Rodgers — especially with a new-look defense.
- It sounds like Drake Maye is eager to be coached by Josh McDaniels in New England. Sure, McDaniels’ head coaching stints flopped hard. But maybe that guy is better off as a position coach or coordinator. Not everyone is meant to be a head coach. I’ll be curious to see how Maye develops in the years to come.
- Two offensive coordinator hires become official on Friday: The Jets hired former Lions assistant Tanner Engstrand, while the Cowboys hired former Cardinals assistant coach Klayton Adams. In the past week, NFL teams have hired a Declan, a Tanner, and a Klayton as offensive coordinators. It reminds me of an old George Carlin bit (language NSFW).
- The Bucs also promoted Josh Grizzard to replace Liam Coen as TB’s OC. Grizzard will become Baker Mayfield’s eighth offensive coordinator since joining the NFL. That dude continues to shine, so I have minimal doubt that his arrow will continue pointing up.
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