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We Haven’t Yet Grasped How Drastically Mitch Trubisky Has Improved

By
Erik Lambert
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mitch trubisky

It was incredible to hear some people declare that Mitch Trubisky was a bust back in October. The guy had just begun playing and they were sure he was a wasted draft pick. Why? How could they reach that conclusion so fast? In truth there are a variety of factors. One of the biggest was the play of Deshaun Watson in Houston. The former Clemson star went on a tear for a long stretch, throwing 18 touchdowns in just six starts.

Everybody was ready to proclaim him King of Football and by default that made Trubisky a bad football player. Have people forgotten this is not how the sport works. Not every player develops that quickly. Watson had so many advantages from his extensive experience at Clemson to an excellent supporting cast and offensive coaching staff.

Trubisky was a hard worker with a clear intent to be great, but it’s easy to forget he was drafted earlier for a reason. Teams that select that high aren’t as good. The Bears had faith that in the long run he could become everything they hoped for and more. All it would require is work, perseverance and some patience.

Mitch Trubisky improvement has been lost amidst the losing

Typically the only way to make fans understand a football argument is with numbers. If that’s what they want, then that’s what they’ll get. Trubisky looked every bit like a rookie through his first four starts this year. Everybody was concerned at that point if the pick was a mistake. Then after the bye week the attention level on his progress seemed to ebb. Why?

Namely it was the crippling losses to the Packers and Eagles. Those two defeats were difficult to stomach. At the same time they helped to masked just how fast the young Bears QB was improving. Let the data explain.

First 4 Games:

  • 49.72 completion percentage
  • 129 yards per game
  • 2 TDs
  • 2 INTs
  • 2.75 sacks per game
  • 75.7 quarterback rating

Last 5 Games:

  • 65.93 completion percentage
  • 199.2 yards per game
  • 4 TDs
  • 2 INTs
  • 2.4 sacks per game
  • 90.6 quarterback rating

If the stats aren’t enough to sway people, all they have to do is watch the tape. The Bengals game featured a list of plays that showed how far Trubisky has come. One in particulate took place midway through the third quarter. In Bengals territory, the Bears were 1st and 10 at the 35-yard line. Anxious to knock them out of field goal range, Cincinnati decided to bring pressure with the blitz.

They managed to get a free runner right in Trubisky’s face. A month ago that likely would’ve resulted in a sack. Instead it led to this.

That’s an NFL throw in every sense. He read the blitz, waited until the last possible second and delivered the ball where the open man would be. It was perfectly executed. To this this is the same young man who could barely complete half his passes earlier in the year. Presuming the Bears improve their coaching and receiving situations in the months to come, only better things could be on the horizon.

So yeah. Maybe it’s best to let this thing play out before jumping to conclusions.

Insider Ranks How Desirable Bears Head Coaching Job Will Be in 2018

By
Erik Lambert
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bears head coaching job

Like quarterbacks there’s just no predicting how good a head coach will be. Sure from time to time there are “slam dunk” candidates. However, for the most part it’s a roll of the dice. The key for teams is trying to make their job openings as attractive as possible for all available candidates. The Chicago Bears head coaching job is no different.

John Fox hasn’t done the team any favors in turning this roster into a winner. He’s had just 13 victories with three games left in his third season. So the selling point for the Bears going into January will likely be focused on the high potential of the roster, along with certain other factors. Chief among them being draft position, spending money and the prestige of coaching for a charter franchise.

Still it’s difficult to gauge where the desirability of this job is at present. Bill Barnwell, insider and analyst for ESPN, revealed his rankings for likely most sought-after positions that could be available in 2018. Does Chicago claim a top spot or are they relegated to the pack?

Bears head coaching job elevated thanks to Mitch Trubisky

3. Chicago Bears

“If you want your Rams analogue for this upcoming offseason, it’s lurking in the Midway. The Bears have their own struggling rookie quarterback in Mitchell Trubisky. He has actually played better than Goff did last season, but teams around the league were more confident about Goff than they were about the Bears’ 2017 first-round selection.

Get Trubisky going and this roster suddenly looks appetizing. The defense has quietly leaped above league average for the first time since 2012, per DVOA, although it has been masked by the league’s second-toughest slate of opposing offensive attacks. The Bears have an impressive offensive line when everyone is healthy, one of the best one-two running back duos in football, and should have $65 million to spend this offseason after cutting Mike Glennon.”

Indeed it appears as though Trubisky has begun to turn the corner after a somewhat inconsistent start to his rookie season. Last Sunday in Cincinnati was the best performance of his young career with 271 yards passing, a TD throw and a TD run in a 33-7 blowout. All signs out of Halas Hall are the kid is a humble, dedicated teammate and a tireless worker.

What prospective head coach wouldn’t like hearing that. Then there’s Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen in the backfield. Or perhaps a young and physical defense. In truth this team looks like it’s one good off-season away from contending. They’ve beaten some really good opponents this year. Among them are the playoff bound Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers.

If somebody can come in and improve the coaching standards, who knows how far this team could go.

How the Logic of Pairing Ryan Pace and John Fox Was Flawed

By
Erik Lambert
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john fox

Nowadays people are saying that the hiring of John Fox was a total disaster. Well sure hindsight is always helpful in these situations. Being 13-32 with three games left in your third season qualifies one as a dud of a head coach. At the same time the move has its defenders. They base their arguments on the logic of the time. Adam Hoge of WGN explained it perfect in his recent article.

“Fox was clearly the most qualified candidate for the job and had a history of turning around both the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos. Compared to Emery hiring Marc Trestman over Bruce Arians, Fox was a perfectly sensible hire, even if it made for a somewhat odd pairing between a veteran head coach and the youngest GM in the NFL.”

It’s that last bit that is so integral to the point being made here. Three years ago it was explained to Pace and the Bears ownership that hiring Fox made perfect sense. He was experienced, proven and the perfect compliment to a rookie GM looking to find his way in the NFL. Except no. That logic was flawed from the beginning. If the Bears had bothered to pay attention, they would’ve seen it.

John Fox and Ryan Pace were destined to clash

The thing about veteran head coaches who’ve been around for a long time is they’re all the same. A track record of success makes them believe they can handle the personnel duties in addition to coaching. Why do they need a GM babysitting them? This is something that has happened before. Back in 2010 the Philadelphia Eagles promoted Howie Roseman to become their new GM.

Up until that point the personnel responsibilities were controlled by longtime head coach Andy Reid. Roseman was the youngest GM in the league at that time. Reid had coached the Eagles for a decade. It’s fair to say he wasn’t happy with the idea of giving up his power of picking his own players. That soon led to friction. From there the Eagles declined. They were 11-5 in 2009, went 10-6 in Roseman’s first year, 8-8 in 2011 and finally bottomed out in 2012 at 4-12.

As a result Reid was fired.

Ignore history? Repeat.

It’s almost an exact timeline of what the Bears have experienced over the past three years. Don’t be fooled by what Pace or Fox say to the media. There has definitely been some friction between the two in regards to roster composition. One source told me some of that centered around one of the teams’ most recent flops.

“Fox wanted Glennon. Pace wanted to use that money in other areas. Bears were the only team interested. Pace had a blueprint. He wanted a top corner to sign, a top receiver, top safety and a cheap VETERAN QB.”

This would back up the story that Pace had plans to go quarterback in the draft and wanted to prepare the roster for that eventuality. Fox though is a known hater of rookie QBs as evidenced by his inability to develop one. Every time he’s had a chance to get a younger passer, he’s instead gone for veteran free agents. Jake Delhomme in Carolina and Peyton Manning in Denver. Pursuing Glennon was right up his alley. A perfect way to bypass the idea of drafting a rookie.

Then Pace went ahead and did it anyway without Fox’s knowledge. In the end their differing philosophies failed to mesh, as is so often the case in the NFL. That’s why Pace needs to make a change and find somebody who thinks more like him.

When 4-Game Win Streak Feels Emptier Than A Banker’s Heart

By
Patrick Mooney
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nikola mirotic returns bulls practice

On June 22nd of this year, Chicago Bulls VP John Paxson and General Manager Gar Forman got on the phone with their former Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, whom they fired unceremoniously in 2015.

That phone call ended with GarPax agreeing to trade Jimmy Butler, a three-time all-star and newly anointed face of the franchise, along with the #16 overall pick in the draft to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kris Dunn, Zach Lavine and the #7 overall pick, which the Bulls used to select a Finnish forward by the name of Lauri Markkanen.

June 22nd was the last day of a long era of stable, but fruitless, playoff contention. For the first time under John Paxson’s 15-year watch, the Bulls will spend the season attempting to rack up more ping pong balls than their opponents, rather than trying to beat them.

After a 3-20 start, it appeared as if the Bulls would have no problem pacing the league in losses throughout the season. That could still be the case, but I can’t help but look at this week’s four-game winning streak and wonder if the Bulls have enough in them to accidentally win another 20-25 games, which could be enough to push them out of the top 5 in the draft, making this a completely lost season.

With how bad a few teams in the East are, coupled with the ultra competitive West forcing teams like the Grizzlies and Clippers to consider selling at the trade deadline, does a Bulls team with an improved Kris Dunn, a healthy Zach LaVine, a possibly revamped Nikola Mirotic, the Finnisher, the respected workhouse Robin Lopez and a bench full of young players desperate to prove they belong in the NBA, have a chance to finish this season with only the 7th or 8th worst record in the league? Probably not, but it no longer feels like an impossible feat, especially considering three of the four Bulls losses before their current win streak were by a combined four points.

It’s natural as a fan to applaud a few hard fought wins after a stretch of brutal last second losses, but in times like these it’s important to remember the bigger picture.

Rebuilds in professional sports can be tiresome, and if they fail, infuriating. Losing isn’t fun, that’s why rebuilds are required in the first place, but losing with a plan is palatable.

While Paxson and Forman have deservedly served as the primary lightning rods for criticism of this once proud organization, at least the duo was able to concede their stubbornness this off-season and hit the reset button. Whether or not they have what it takes to make the right moves once/if this team becomes competitive again under their watch is a whole other argument, but for now they are doing the right thing by trying to tear this thing down and start from the bottom.

But first they need to reach the bottom.

Now, I won’t get too dramatic, it’s not as if the Bulls are doomed if they miss out on this year’s #1 draft pick, especially with consensus top prospect Michael Porter Jr. out for the remainder of the season with a concerning back issue.

According to most draft pundits, there is a big drop off after the top four prospects, which include Porter Jr., Marvin Bagley from Duke, Deandre Ayton from Arizona and Luka Doncic who is playing overseas. That’s obviously not to say that all four of those players will turn out to be stars, or that everybody that falls outside of the top four won’t turn into a franchise cornerstone, but it’s important to play the odds.

It’s scary to think of the Bulls current management having to make such a critical decision at the top of the draft, nobody wants to be the guy that drafts Jahlil Okafor over Kristaps Porzingis, or the one that drafts Michael Beasley over Russell Westbrook, or the one that drafts Hasheem Thabeet over James Harden, or the one that drafts Jonny Flynn over Steph Curry…..

Paxson has been on both sides of the coin. He passed up on LaMarcus Aldridge for Tyrus Thomas, but redeemed himself two years later when he drafted Derrick Rose with the #1 pick, a pick they landed in small part because Thomas was on the Bulls, not Aldridge. So based on that small early lottery sample size, there isn’t much we can be certain of in regards to GarPax’s ability to evaluate top draft talent.

One thing we can be certain of is that fear of bad injury luck or missing on a draft pick has no place in NBA rebuilds. This is essential. If the Bulls screw up this years pick, they will likely be right up at the top of the draft in 2019 with a second chance to get it right. As a team that’s accumulated two nice young pieces in the Butler trade to pair with the promising rookie Lauri Markkanen, they should only need to hit on one top draft pick in order to bring the franchise back to relevance.

At the end of the day, the Bulls 7-20 record is the second worst in the league. It’s up to the rest of the league to step up and help the Bulls keep it that way.

Scottie Pippen Thinks LeBron Has Passed Michael Jordan

By
Matthew Milakovich
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lebron vs. jordan

Happy Thursday everyone! When I rolled out of bed this morning and felt a chill grasp my foot and aggressively rise up my through my body, instantly shocking my brain and waking me up, I was upset. When I went outside and felt how much colder it was out there than it was in the house, I wasn’t shocked, but yet again, I was upset. Slightly later in the day (about ten minutes ago to be exact) when I saw the news that Scottie Pippen thinks LeBron has passed Michael Jordan, finally, I was both shocked and upset. But, is he right?

on ESPN’s First Take as a guest, Pippen had this to say regarding the never-ending comparison between LeBron James and his former teammate:

“The numbers don’t lie. He’s right there. He probably will never catch him in terms of MVP, but in terms of statistics, LeBron is right there. And when you look across the board — not just scoring — check his assists, check his rebounds … he’s probably ahead of Jordan.”

Is LeBron Really Statistically Better Than Jordan Through 15 seasons?

LeBron is now in his 15th season. Michael Jordan played a total of 15 seasons. So is LeBron really better through 15 years in the stat column?

Lebron James: 29576 points, 848 blocks, 1789 steals, 7713 assists, 7936 rebounds, .503FG%, 21328 FG attempted, 42314 minutes played

Michael Jordan: 32292 points, 893 blocks, 2514 steals, 5633 assists, 6672 rebounds, .497 FG%, 24537 FG attempted, 41011 minutes played

So as you see, in the points, blocks, steals columns, Jordan has the edge; while James is the leader in assists, rebounds, and minutes. None of this is really surprising. Jordan was arguably a better, more tenacious defender, even if he couldn’t guard as many positions as LeBron.

The fact Jordan has more points in less minutes is impressive, however, LeBron has never been the scorer Michael was. We all know that. LeBron is a better facilitator, and given he plays every position of course has more rebounds. Considering LeBron plays every position could also be a check mark in his corner.

Conversely, Jordan has near the same exact field goal percentage despite attempting over 3,000 more shots. That is perhaps the most impressive stat of all. Jordan also has a surprisingly large gap in the steals category and leads in the block category, these two facts are surprising to me. I would have thought LeBron would be much closer, if not lead, in the steals category, and have more blocks given he’s all over the floor guarding so many positions. That is one of his greatest assets correct?

This argument, could, and probably will, go on forever. Of course, beauty has always been in the eye of the beholder.

Give me Jordan’s rings, MVP’s, stats, killer instinct, and spirit any day of the week. You may say different, but I don’t care. And those on the other side of the aisle would probably say the same. The argument is as moot as they come. The only shock here is that Scottie isn’t standing beside the teammate who allowed him to wear any one of six rings whenever the fuck he pleases. This is as “SMH” as they come. Especially considering Jordan leads in just as many categories.

Not a good look Scottie.

 

The Story of How the Bears Drafted Devin Hester Is an Utter Joy

By
Erik Lambert
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devin hester

Chicago Bears fans have been mired in a deep depression the past few years. That’s understandable. When a team has four-straight losing seasons during which it includes some of the darkest moments in its history, that can be hard to swallow. All the while it’s made worse by the era left behind. One of superb defense, takeaways, power running and best of all electric special teams. That was where Devin Hester came in.

Nobody had a clue what the Bears were getting when he arrived via the second round of the 2006 draft. All they knew was he came from a football factory at Miami and had some return man ability. Few expected what they eventually got from four Pro Bowls to an NFL record 19 return touchdowns and a laundry list of unforgettable highlights.

As time goes on that pick 11 years ago looks like a stroke of genius. So how did it happen? GM Jerry Angelo explained to The Athletic the work that went into scouting him and how many voices were heard in favor of the move. As it turns out Hester had a ton of fans in the Bears front office.

Devin Hester draft move was a leap of faith on his talent and character

“We were enamored with his talent. He was a return specialist for Miami, but a work in progress in terms of defining a position. He played on offense and defense but hadn’t created a niche for himself. So he was a non-predictor in terms of what he was besides a kick returner. We dug deep into the character of him. The strength coach at Miami, Andreu Swasey, told me Devin was a gym rat who did everything he could to succeed.

That’s what sold me. We bet on the ceiling based on the character and his hungriness to be a great player. Our area scout Mark Sadowski had done an inordinate amount of work on him and really believed in the player to confirm what the strength coach said. I said, “He’s not going to be a bust.” There was not a bust factor with him. Worst case, we would get a really good special teams player.”

Hester did something that so few NFL players have done. He changed the game. Never before had teams been forced to game plan as much on special teams before he arrived. Once the depth of his ability was truly understood, opponents quite often kicked the ball out of bounds rather than risk him taking it back for a touchdown.

It’s doubtful people will be able to remember the 2000s without mentioning Hester’s name. Kickoff rules changed in part because of him. It’s likely he’ll be holding all those records forever. This should put him on the list for making it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Were that to happen, it would go down as Angelo’s best ever draft pick. Amazing to think that would be the case.

Theo Epstein Shows His Cleverness Yet Again With Steve Cishek

By
Dhruv Koul
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The Marlins' Steve Cishek works against the Giants on May 8, 2015. (Ben Margot / AP)

Ken Rosenthal of FOX / The Athletic reported on Thursday morning that the Chicago Cubs had agreed to a two-year deal with free agent reliever Steve Cishek.

Cishek, a side-arming, almost submarine-type right-handed reliever, posted a 2.01 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP in a combined 44.2 IP last year in a season that was split between the Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays.

However, Cishek’s greatest career success came with the Miami Marlins, where he was a successful setup man and eventual lights-out closer for a couple of seasons. In 2013, he posted a 2.33 ERA while saving 34 games in 36 opportunities. The following year, he saved 39 games in 43 opportunities. Pretty solid stuff.

And think back to the Cubs’ biggest problem in the bullpen the last couple of years. They’ve been notorious for walking people in bunches. Control issues have plagued Chicago’s relief arms: CJ Edwards, Hector Rondon (who was non-tendered), Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm, Justin Wilson, and even Wade Davis struggled at times with their control.

In that regard, Cishek should be a sight for Joe Maddon’s sore eyes. He has kept his walks under control for the most part throughout his career. His career walk rate is 3.29 BB/9 IP. That’s not Greg Maddux-esque by any means, but it’s certainly leaps and bounds better (roughly 2 BB/9 IP better, which is a lot) than the Cubs have had in their bullpen for a while. Couple that with a career 2.73 ERA and 1.16 WHIP, and he should provide Maddon a trusted arm to use in late inning situations. You know, when they can’t afford to walk people.

The deal is reportedly between $12-14 million over two years total, which is reasonable. A reliever who can find the strike zone consistently and has some solid closing experience? Great find, Theo.

Another Bears Player Stepped Up To Snipe at John Fox

By
Erik Lambert
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john fox

Give John Fox some credit. He’s somehow managed to maintain control of the Chicago Bears despite three-straight years of losing seasons. Most head coaches would have long since completely lost a grip on his players. If nothing else that’s a testament to his ability to maintain order. At the same time, that hasn’t prevented certain players from taking subtle jabs at him in the media. Not so much over Fox himself, but rather his philosophies.

Mitch Trubisky, in the most innocent way possible, brought it up multiple times. He stated the offense was doing as much as “Coach Fox allows” during an early press conference. Then after the win in Cincinnati he confirmed that the offense had been more aggressive than usual. All the while not trying to hide the “I told you so” look on his face.

His teammate though, wide receiver Kendall Wright, doesn’t have the same level subtlety. After delivering his best game of his Bears career last Sunday, it seems he was intent on venting some minor frustrations after weeks and weeks of outside criticism. His target, though without naming names of course? You guessed it.

Kendall Wright blames John Fox run-heavy scheme for the receiver issue

It was clear that Wright wasn’t happy about taking criticism for not producing enough in the passing game this year. After delivering a 10-catch, 107-yard performance in Cincinnati though he seized the chance to explain that talent wasn’t the problem with the Bears receiving corps. It was utilization.

“We don’t get the opportunities that most receivers get.

How do you know if you’re good or not if you’re only getting two or three targets a game?” Wright said. “If you watch somebody else’s games, Antonio Brown (of the Steelers) would have 15 targets and he’s great.

You come to our game, we have two and (it’s), ‘Aw, the Bears need receivers.’ They don’t need receivers. When you balance it up, you see what our receivers do.”

Is it a fair criticism? While Wright is not on the same level as Brown would more targets be producing more results? Currently he sits at 477 yards on 64 targets from Bears quarterbacks. Brown has had an absurd 160 thrown his way. So if one were to simply double the number of targets (128) Wright has had this year, he’d average out to over 950 yards with three games to play.

It might be an overly simplified excuse but not entirely unfair. It’s hard to produce at a quality level in the NFL without a fair amount of opportunities. Running backs tend not to have great games unless they get a certain number of carries. Cornerbacks won’t get a lot of interceptions if opposing QBs refuse to throw the ball in their direction much. Receivers are no different.

At the same time much of the original beef is still in place. The Bears receiving corps is undermanned and needs more talent. Whether Wright likes it or not, there will be changes coming this off-season.

White Sox Reportedly Have Most Aggressive Offer To Land Manny Machado

By
Emmet McClain
-

Right around midnight, Ken Rosenthal tweeted out that the White Sox are the most aggressive team in trying to acquire Manny Machado’s services.

The article describes how it is indeed the White Sox that have the most aggressive package on the table. Currently, the White Sox have offered one of either Lucas Giolito or Michael Kopech to start talks, but not both. It is unclear what the rest of the package contains at this time.

Rick Hahn is probably pressing Baltimore for the 72 hour negotiation window in order to attempt to resign Machado longterm right away, but there is no guarantee that happens. It is also possible that the White Sox trade for Machado and flip him to a team like the Yankees at the trade deadline.

As a White Sox fan, my initial knee-jerk reaction to this is a resounding “NO.” Giolito and Kopech both project to be a force for the rotation for the next several years. I think trading one of them away as part of a package could do longterm harm, especially if Machado chooses to resign elsewhere. However, Rick Hahn has done so much for this organization the past twelve months. I trust that he will do whatever is best for the White Sox longterm.

As far as the deal getting done, it sounds like it is still not close to completion, but for now, the White Sox are the clear front runner for the three time All-Star.

Todd McShay Reveals His Pick For the Bears in 2018 NFL Draft

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears calvin ridley

The Chicago Bears know they have an opportunity to get back onto the NFC playoff scene in 2018. This is thanks in large part to their last two drafts which have produced a bevy of quality talent. Leonard Floyd, Jordan Howard, Cody Whitehair, Eddie Jackson, Tarik Cohen, Adam Shaheen and Mitch Trubisky have formed the making of a foundation that GM Ryan Pace can build into something special.

Like he’s said many times in the past though, he’ll have to keep stacking good drafts together. That’s the only way the Bears will be able to overcome what is looking like a stacked conference to finally end their playoff drought. Nothing determines the direction of a draft more than who the first pick is.

While many things can change over the course of the next few months, it’s never too early to seek out that one player who could give them that final push they need. Top draft analyst Todd McShay seemed to have an idea of where they should focus their efforts. He explained why in his first official mock draft of this season.

Chicago Bears must zero in on a wide receiver without hesitation

It’s no secret that the Bears need to overhaul their receiver position. Simply possessing the #32 passing offense in the NFL is confirmation of that. The question going into 2018 is how do they do that? McShay has a simple solution.

8. Chicago Bears

Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

Mitchell Trubisky has had an inconsistent rookie campaign, but the Bears have been plagued by injuries at the wide receiver position in recent years. Ridley is the clear top wideout in this class, with outstanding foot speed and good acceleration. He has averaged 16.2 yards per catch this season, but his stats in Alabama’s run-heavy offense don’t reflect his true talent.

Ridley is much like another former Alabama standout in Amari Cooper. The speed, the athleticism, the size and strong hands are all there. That Ridley has managed to be so productive in an almost pure running offense is a testament to his skills. He’s not thrown to a lot, but when he is good things tend to happen.

For a Bears team that features a loaded ground attack led by Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, having a big play threat like Ridley would not be a bad thing at all. The issue at hand will be whether they can avoid taking a pass rusher given how riddled with problems that position has become due to age and injuries.

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