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Emerging Trade Option Could Solve Bears’ Biggest Roster Issue

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears

The Chicago Bears have a true headache on their hands. His name is Kyle Fuller. The 25-year old cornerback had a career year in 2017. He finished with two interceptions and 22 passes defended. He also finished among the top defenders in tackles. His value to the secondary was unquestioned all season long. Now he’s set to become a free agent along with three other key corners on the roster.

The Bears are in a serious pickle. They have plenty of salary cap space. They could re-sign every player including Fuller. The franchise tag is in play as well should he play hardball on a new long-term extension. At the same time, the threat of him leaving is there. People haven’t forgotten what happened with Alshon Jeffery.

Nonetheless, GM Ryan Pace is facing a challenge. Can he keep the cornerback group together? Or better yet. Is there any way he could actually improve on it. There might be a possible way developing elsewhere. One that may change the face of the Bears defense if they’re willing to pay the price.

Chicago Bears could get in on Marcus Peters trade buzz

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, there is an undercurrent of smoke coming out of Kansas City. One that hints Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters may be going on the trade block. This might sound unfathomable, but it’s the NFL. Crazy things tend to happen.

Now it’s well-known La Canfora can be unreliable with such predictions. His hit-miss record is average at best. Still, it’s an interesting situation. Peters is 25-years old and entering the final year of his rookie contract. It’s obvious to anybody he’s going to command big money. Given his reputation for being outspoken and controversial, the Chiefs may not be keen on paying that price tag.

There’s also the situation regarding their recent moves. Thanks to the Alex Smith trade they acquired young corner Kendall Fuller, considered an emerging stud in the slot. They also signed decent free agent David Amerson. Two moves at the cornerback position. Is it meant to fortify their already strong secondary or perhaps a preliminary step to moving Peters?

Pairing Peters with Fuller could be a game-changer

Regardless of the reasoning, the fact is the Bears should have serious interest in this idea. Peters has 19 interceptions over the past three seasons. He’s the best ball-hawking cornerback in football and a perfect fit for the Vic Fangio defense. Imagine what the Bears could do if they were able to pair him with Fuller in the secondary. A long-time team weakness would suddenly become a strength.

It comes down to what they’d have to pay. Conventional wisdom says somewhere around a high second or late first round pick.

Is this a price worth paying for the Bears? Well here’s some context. Since the 1970 merger, Chicago has selected 45 players in the second round. Only seven of them went on to make a Pro Bowl. Peters has already been to two of them and won’t turn 26 until next January. Absolutely this is a move they should consider.

John Fox Clearly Sour While Admitting Bears Ready to Turn Corner

By
Erik Lambert
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john fox

Former Chicago Bears head coach John Fox no doubt feels some regret. His run with the team counts as his first-ever true failure as the job in his long NFL career. He took Carolina and Denver to Super Bowls. He couldn’t even manage a winning season in Chicago. For someone so competitive like him, that has to sting beyond measure.

Fox finished 14-34 in his Bears run. That amounts to the second-worst winning percentage in franchise history. It’s hard to say where things went wrong. The team was in a clear rebuild when he took over, something he had never experienced before. The Panthers and Broncos each already had strong, young cores in place when he took over those franchises. Such wasn’t the case in Chicago.

Then there were the injury problems. No team in the NFL could match the Bears for the number of players landing on injured reserve, especially over the past two years. It’s hard to win games when so many starters aren’t on the field. In the end, though, Fox’s outdated coaching style put the final nail in his coffin. His inability to coach up the quarterback position was a major factor in his dismissal.

Now he’s forced to endure one of the harshest realities of a fired coach:  watching somebody else reap the rewards of his hard work.

John Fox can’t hide his regret while saying Bears are almost ready to win

NBC Sports Chicago caught up with the 62-year old this off-season. Fox has no plans to retire yet and is likely awaiting his next opportunity. He took the chance to talk about his time with the Bears. It seemed hard for him to not seem a little sour about not being able to finish the job.

“It would’ve been nice to see it through. That’s kind of a bitter pill but you sort things out and move forward.

“I do think it’s closer than people think. We inherited a mess… but I felt we were on the brink at the end. I think that [Halas Hall] building is definitely different; they feel it. I do think that it was a positive.”

He’s not wrong. It did feel like the Bears were starting to trend upwards at the end of the 2017 season. They blew out the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns in December. Mitch Trubisky was playing some good football and the defense, despite injuries, allowed 15 points or less in three of the last five games.

One more good off-season from GM Ryan Pace could set them up to make a playoff push in 2018. Undoubtedly Fox recognized that. To think that Matt Nagy might swoop in and enjoy the spoils of that tireless work? It has to sting a little.

A Bold Option on Kyle Fuller The Bears Might Be Considering

By
Erik Lambert
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kyle fuller

The Chicago Bears have maintained complete silence on their plans for cornerback Kyle Fuller. They hinted their desire for him to stay. That much is obvious after he’s coming off a career-best two interceptions and 22 passes defended in 2017. At 25-years old he’s entering his prime. The market is undoubtedly going to be strong for him, as it typically is for cornerbacks.

Undoubtedly GM Ryan Pace would love to avoid another Alshon Jeffery situation. That being a talented young player leaving in free agency and exposing a weakness on the Bears roster. This is why the general consensus believe Fuller will get the franchise tag. It keeps him in place for another year, pays him top money and buys the Bears time to find common ground on a long-term extension.

However, that’s not the only route open to them. There is a third, less utilized one that is possible. It would involve losing Fuller but would help to facilitate a trade that could get the Bears something in return.

Bears could use transition tag to secure Kyle Fuller compensation

It must be noted this scenario is built around the idea that Fuller is much like Jeffery was. He has little desire to return to Chicago. If that’s the case, the Bears have to find a way to get something back for him. The good news is Fuller’s value is much higher than Jeffery’s was a year ago. So the transition tag is in play.

The basic idea of the transition tag is simple. It allows an NFL to prevent a player from leaving outright. Other teams are allowed to negotiate with that player and make an offer. If he accepts, the Bears would have the right to match that offer. On the other hand, if Fuller were to agree to the deal the other team could negotiate a trade to ensure the Bears don’t match the offer, thus allowing him to leave.

This is basically how Rich Tandler of NBC Sports broke it down on the Kirk Cousins situation in Washington.

“There doesn’t really need to be any winking and nodding involved; the Redskins can give Cousins’ agent permission to talk to any or all teams at any time. Here is my understanding of how it could work out after the Redskins put the tag on him. 1) Cousins works out a deal with, say, Denver. No offer sheet is signed. 2) Cousins goes back to the Redskins, signs the tag, and the teams execute a trade that was agreed to beforehand. 3) Cousins signs the new deal with the Broncos.”

The benefits of this move would be three-fold

It’s a move that would require a lot of trust but also be a win-win situation. A trade would assure Fuller that he doesn’t have to stay in Chicago and is allowed to pick his own team. That team would be able to avoid a front-loaded contract that can hurt their free agency prospects. The Bears get something back in return. Likely a solid draft choice.

It’s not hard to imagine them getting a second round pick in any deal. Fuller has proven his value to that extent at least. It comes down to the unknown factor. Does he want to stay or does he want to leave? Only Fuller himself can answer that question and he won’t reveal it to anybody until he’s ready.

The 8th Pick Has Haunted The Bears Before and There’s a Reason Why

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears 2018 draft

The Chicago Bears 2018 draft will hinge on what they do in the first round. This is nothing new. The first round often dictates whether a draft will be successful for a team. Sure there are exceptions. Just look at what the Bears did in 2003 for an idea. Regardless, there is no getting around it. GM Ryan Pace absolutely can’t afford to flub this first pick in April.

Therein lay the problem. It’s the 8th overall pick. Most fans may not know this but that selection has a rather dubious reputation in Chicago lore. Since the draft was first established way back in 1936, the Bears have held and used the 8th pick a total of five times. The total return on those five picks? Not very good at all.

Two of them were downright busts. Les McDonald was a forgettable reserve back in the ’30s while David Terrell became another in a long string of wide receiver whiffs for the franchise in 2001. There was also Jim Dooley who survived most of the ’50s on the roster as a decent pass catcher. Lastly was tackle Dennis Lick who blocked for Walter Payton in the 1970s. All told those men started 13 seasons in Chicago without a single Pro Bowl or championship to their names.

Chicago Bears 2018 draft centers on which side 8th pick goes to

It’s not all bad though. The Bears actually have made a good pick at #8. That came in 1974 when they scooped defensive lineman Wally Chambers. He became a three-time Pro Bowler for them and facilitated the eventual trade that landed them Dan Hampton. Interestingly enough he is by far the most successful of the five picks, and he’s also the only one who played primarily on defense.

This is actually somewhat baffling. In the Super Bowl era, the 8th pick has produced 35 Pro Bowlers, 17 on defense and 18 on offense. The true discrepancy is in Canton with six of the offensive guys reaching the Hall of Fame and only one defender. So by rights, the Bears should’ve had more success drafting offense. Yet that’s not the case.

It shouldn’t be a surprise though. The Bears have made a total of 11 picks in the bottom half of the top 10 since 1966. Only one offensive player, Jimbo Covert, made the Pro Bowl. Conversely, three defenders including Chambers, Mark Carrier, and Brian Urlacher made it on defense. That could include Leonard Floyd if his upward trajectory continues.

The evidence is clear. Based on the Bears’ current draft position they might be better off avoiding the offensive side of the ball when they go on the clock in April. It hasn’t done them any favors to this point. It’s possible that might change. Then again at some point, one has to embrace the trend and go with the flow.

Cubs Release Pitcher Who Killed Coach

By
Aldo Soto
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The Chicago Cubs have released right-handed pitcher Williams Perez, who was arrested in Venezuela earlier in February, when he accidentally shot and killed a pitching coach.

Here are the few details available from the incident via Yahoo! Sports.

According to reports out of Portuguesa, Venezuela, Perez was handing the gun to Quintero, 52, when it accidentally discharged. The initial report said that no foul play was suspected. It was later reported that the 26-year-old Perez had been arrested and was cooperating with the police investigation.

Perez, 26, was the owner of the gun and had a permit to carry according to the police. The man who was killed, Cesar Quintero, was 52.

Perez was on a minor-league contract with the Cubs and pitched at Triple-A Iowa in 2017. On Sunday, the organization released Perez according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.

The 26-year-old pitcher was slated to join the Cubs in Mesa as a non-roster invitee this spring training before the incident. In 2017, Perez made 23 starts with the Iowa Cubs, going 7-10, with a 5.01 ERA. He previously pitched for the Atlanta Braves, making his MLB debut in 2015. In two major league seasons, Perez had a 5.18 ERA in 170.1 innings.

There is still no word on the fallout of the investigation, but Perez has been cooperating with the authorities.

Corey Dickerson Is The Perfect Fit For The White Sox

By
Emmet McClain
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On Saturday for some truly mystifying reason, the Tampa Bay Rays DFA’d 2017 All-Star OF/DH Corey Dickerson. Last season the 28 year old batted .282 with 27 home runs, 62 RBI’s, and posted a 2.6 WAR in 150 games.

The White Sox currently have a hole to fill at DH and Dickerson would be better than any in-house option the team currently has. What really stands out when it comes to Dickerson is his consistency and the money he is currently making.

For the White Sox, this almost makes too much sense. His age fits the rebuild, he fills a need, he is incredibly cheap for what he brings to the table, and he is versatile. Dickerson could theoretically DH for eightyish games and then play OF for the rest. This would allow Rick Renteria to DH Nicky Delmonico, Jose Abreu, and Avisail Garcia on certain days as well. Furthermore, if the White Sox pick up Dickerson and are out of contention by the trade deadline, he would come in handy as a very enticing trade piece for a contender should he stay consistent with his career numbers.

In a year where the White Sox are trying to get the most value out of all their players before they spend big, Dickerson fits the bill for the South Side in every way.

 

Chicago Bears Seen as Prime Draft Trade Partner for QB Hunting Team

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears

In three years Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace has held the #7, #11 and #3 picks in the NFL draft respectively. Each one offered him favorable real estate to make a big move down to acquire more picks for his rebuild team. In those three chances, he stayed put once and moved up twice. Three chances, and three instances of Pace saying “Nah, I’m good.”

It’s been 15 years now since the last time the Bears made a big move down from a top spot. That was 2003 when they dropped down twice to acquire the #14 and #22 picks, which became Michael Haynes and Rex Grossman. Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the strategy. Nonetheless, there is a growing buzz that Pace could finally consider that move this year.

Not only does he have a favorable spot in the #8 pick, but there are a number of QB-needy teams looming further down the board that might be looking to move up. Peter King of the MMQB believes one of them may look to Chicago to pull off their goal.

Chicago Bears slot viewed as prime position for Buffalo Bills

King did his best to predict where every top quarterback in the draft and free agency would end up landing this off-season. His choice for Buffalo was Wyoming standout, Josh Allen. Most rank him among the top four in the 2018 draft class. At present, the general feeling is he’ll be going in the top 10. That could be problematic for Buffalo since they hold the #21 and #22 picks.

“Buffalo: Josh Allen. The musical chairs are getting scarce. This could be a McCarron, Keenum or Bradford spot too. If Denver gets Cousins, I could see Elway dealing his one (fifth overall) for Buffalo’s two first-round picks (21, 22) and another high pick this year or next—I could see Tampa Bay, Chicago, Oakland and San Francisco at seven through 10 in round one doing the same—to allow Buffalo to jump up and get a good quarterback prospect.”

It’s an interesting idea. Essentially the Bears and Bills would swap positions. The Bills get #8 overall and the Bears get #21 and #22. Maybe an extra late rounder gets thrown in as a sweetener. Either way, it depends heavily on Pace. He’s said in the past that he isn’t the biggest fan of sacrificing opportunities to get difference-making players for his team. His actions over the past three years prove that much.

At the same time Pace has proven adept at moving back in the draft and still securing credible talent. Cody Whitehair and Adam Shaheen are examples. It may come down to how much confidence he has that he can land good players despite losing such high position.

Jordan Howard Earns Surprising Honor from NFL Experts

By
Erik Lambert
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jordan howard

Jordan Howard is a mystery. Not because he’s hard to read or anything. More like his playing style is tough to pin down. On the surface, it seems like a simple read. He’s a big, bruising back that tramples defenders. Except that’s not true at all. Howard is no Jim Brown. His game, like predecessor Matt Forte, is somewhat unique.

It took people time to figure out what Forte was. He wasn’t a home run hitter or a power back. It became apparent he was a slashing runner with smooth acceleration and outstanding ability as a receiver out of the backfield. After a second-straight Pro Bowl and becoming the first Bears back to ever post 1,000 yards in his first two years? Howard’s ability is coming into view.

There is no doubt he is a strong back. Getting him on the ground was a chore for defenses in 2017. He broke 42 tackles. This despite constantly facing eight or nine-man boxes. Yet it wasn’t just power that enabled him to do this. Experts soon began to see that despite being a bigger guy, he was actually difficult to get a hand on.

Jordan Howard ranks among NFL best at elusiveness

Matt Harmon of NFL.com did a rundown of every notable running back in the league after the season trying to determine who the most “elusive” ones were. That is to say, the backs who managed to create yards of their own skill rather than blocking. This was done by tracking data determining when they had defenders within a yard of them. Howard? He came out looking like a champ, ranking fourth overall in the league.

“Howard followed up his excellent rookie season with yet another 1,000-yard rushing campaign in 2017. He’s a tough back to bring down when he gets rolling. Howard gained an average of 4.06 yards after defenders closed within 1 yard of him. He was also a top performer in this metric in 2016, as his 4.64 yards gained after close-ranked first among backs with over 175 carries.

The Bears hired former Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to take over as their head coach this offseason. While Howard doesn’t come with the receiving chops of some of the backs featured in Nagy’s Kansas City offenses, Chicago’s new coach will no doubt look to keep the bruising Howard in place as the scoring attack’s identity.”

Howard gained 4.06 yards after contact

There is no question the Bears likely wouldn’t have had an offense if it weren’t for Howard. In total the team gained 4,599 yards of total offense last season. Howard accounted 1,247 of it or 27.1%. He also scored six more touchdowns than the next closest Bears player (Tarik Cohen and Adam Shaheen). He was the man.

No doubt the Bears are anxious to maximize that skill however they can. The easiest way would be to elevate Mitch Trubisky at quarterback. That’s why they hired Matt Nagy as head coach. If Trubisky ascends, it will force defenses to remove extra defenders from the tackle box. If Howard got 1,000 yards against eight-man fronts, imagine what he can do against five or six. His elusive ranking would almost certainly rise.

Expert Unfairly Blames Ryan Pace for Bears’ Biggest 2018 Dilemma

By
Erik Lambert
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kyle fuller

People always seem to enjoy finding ways to bombard Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace with criticism. In some cases it’s fair. His 2017 free agent class was indeed as putrid as it looked last March. Other times he catches flak for no reason at all, like his 2017 draft class. A group that has since proven far better than anybody realized.

Why are so many out to get him? Well, there are a number of reasons. It probably started in 2015 when media favorite Chris Ballard was passed over by the Bears in favor of Pace. Some were probably instantly turned off on him by that decision. Then there’s the fact his team hasn’t won. He’s overseen one of the worse stretches of Bears football in terms of wins-losses in team history.

Last but not least? He’s young. Even after three years, he’s still the youngest GM in the game. Youth is celebrated among players in the NFL, but it’s seen as a potential weakness at the front office level. Some feel Pace probably wasn’t ready for the opportunity. Either way, he remains in charge and hasn’t done a terrible job. Especially considering the horrific roster he inherited.

Now though he’s under attack again, this time for something that was not his fault.

Ryan Pace lambasted for his decision not to pick up Kyle Fuller option

The biggest piece on the Bears 2018 agenda as of now is pending free agent cornerback Kyle Fuller. His contract is set to expire in March. At which time teams will almost certainly scramble to gain the services of the 25-year old after completing the best season of his career. He finished with two interceptions and 22 passes defended.

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com believes this makes him a prime candidate for the franchise tag. Not only that but in his mind, it also calls Pace into question once again as a viable GM>

“Fuller is the Doug Martin of cornerbacks, mixing in an eye-opening season every three years. Luckily for Fuller, his great years came as a rookie and in a contract season. A long-term deal here would be preferable, but it makes no sense for GM Ryan Pace to allow a young starter coming off an excellent campaign to leave, further weakening a position of need. Pace’s decision not to use the fifth-year option in Fuller’s rookie contract last May has come back to haunt the franchise, like a lot of Pace’s decisions.”

It’s a fair point on the surface. If the Bears had used the fifth-year option on Fuller they’d be able to postpone using the tag until 2019, controlling his rights for two more seasons at affordable prices. Except Rosenthal conveniently ignored the context of the situation. As is typical of many national analysts.

Fuller showed zero signs of breakout prior to 2017

This must be made clear. Fuller’s 2017 run wasn’t surprising. It was stunning. Up to that point, there’d been no indication he was capable of that level of player. He crashed hard as a rookie in 2014, started poorly but finished strong in 2015, and then missed all of 2016 with a knee injury. What exactly about that stretch would compel a team to utilize a fifth-year option to pay Fuller close to $9 million?

Everything about how this played out was a sound business strategy. If the option were picked up and Fuller floundered in 2017, the Bears would have to deal with a heavy salary cap hit for a player who clearly wasn’t going to pan out. Yet they knew they still had the franchise tag in their back pocket on the off chance he turned things around. Sure the extra year would’ve been nice, but there were zero indicators that Fuller was capable of that.

Blaming Pace for not taking an unnecessary gamble is somewhat shortsighted.

Fergie Just Sang The Worst Rendition Of The National Anthem At The 2018 NBA All-Star Game

By
Aldo Soto
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Fergie baby, what were you doing!

So, Fergie sang, or attempted to sing the national anthem before the 2018 NBA All-Star Game and boy was it something. It wasn’t good, I know that and I’m not sure if you can consider it singing either. There’s bad and then there’s whatever Fergie just did.

All you have to know about how awful Fergie’s rendition was is the expressions on the players faces.

And here we thought the entire pregame ceremony with Kevin Hart was the worst part of the festivities.

All right, here we go. The best reactions to Fergie in no particular order.

Thanks Fergie, you at least made some of the pregame fun.

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