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This Stat Sums Up How Godawful John Fox Is as Bears Coach

By
Erik Lambert
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bears coach john fox
TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 27: Jead coach John Fox of the Chicago Bears watches from the sidelines against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium on December 27, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Cliff McBride/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** John Fox

Listen it’s understandable to excuse Chicago Bears coach John Fox for his first two years. The guy inherited a team that was clearly rebuilding. However, as everybody knows the expectations rise in the third year. It’s by this time a roster should start to show signs of progress in the win column. In other words if people saw more of what happened last year, then it would be a big problem.

Well here the Bears are. They lose 29-0 in Tampa Bay, getting blown out for the second-straight season by a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2008. Sure the Buccaneers are good, but they’re not mighty. Chicago just got done taking the NFC champion Falcons to the limit. This should not be happening. Well it is, and perhaps nothing sums up the Fox era in Chicago better than this stat courtesy of Dan Wiederer of Chicago Tribune.

That number increased to nine games and slipped slightly to 122 points. The story of most seasons in the NFL are how they start. It’s really hard to have any success if you can’t start well. Fox has failed to keep his teams smart, disciplined or healthy. That’s a trifecta of failure.

Bears coach John Fox has a reputation for this

It’s been a subject for the past couple years. Was Fox a product of inheriting talented teams at the right time or is he that good of a coach? Those Panthers and Broncos squads he took over already had future superstars on them. Such was not the case with the Bears. They were the first literal rebuild from the ground up he’s faced. Their utter lack of progress is telling.

Their discipline is erratic at best. They make so many dumb mistakes and the persistent feature of the past three years has been constant injuries. Much of this is due to the fact that Fox is 62-years old. No one is saying he’s lacking energy. Multiple accounts of him off the field counter that argument. Then again his attention to detail has slipped considerably from year to year.

Here’s a stat for you. In 2015 the Bears had 99 team penalties. Not bad. Last year they had 110 penalties. Getting worse. Through two games of 2017, they have 16. That puts them on pace for 128 this year. That’s about as bad as it gets.

His greatest blunder was playing out the Glennon charade

If ever there was a moment in Fox’s tenure where he had a chance to change the script on his likely future it was at the end of August. Rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky had clearly outplayed veteran Mike Glennon in the preseason. All signs pointed to him not only being ready, but just flat out better than. Instead Fox stuck to the original plan.

He insisted Glennon gave the team the best chance to win. Turns out not so much.

Glennon now has four times as many turnovers as he has touchdown passes. So that whole thing about him protecting the football and managing the game? Guess we get to call Fox a liar. At least with Trubisky such mistakes are understandable. He’s a rookie who hasn’t seen NFL coverages. Glennon is 28 and was drafted in 2013.

If Fox thinks that man is better suited to lead the Bears offense, then he has lost touch with reality. It’s time for a change, not just at quarterback but at head coach as well.

Chicago Bears 2017 Week 2: Here’s What We Learned

By
Dhruv Koul
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(Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Bears quarterback Mike Glennon (8) loses a fumble in the second quarter.

What an unmitigated disaster.

A week after showing plenty of promise in a surprisingly close yet equally demoralizing loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the Chicago Bears completely failed to show up against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that had its Week 1 matchup cancelled due to Hurricane Irma.

Penalties. Turnovers. Injuries. More penalties. More turnovers. More injuries.

The Bears were unprepared for anything and everything that the Bucs threw at them. No pass rush, untimely penalties on multiple third downs to extend drives, unimaginative play-calling, you name it. It was an unacceptable performance for a Bears team that has so much up in the air.

Mike Glennon essentially destroyed any little worth he had to the team by imploding in a first half laugher. A horrific decision led to a crushing interception on their first drive. A strip-sack a short time later led to more Bucs points. And then Glennon completed the trifecta by getting undercut on an out-route, leading to a pick-six that slammed the door on Week 2.

The entire point of Mike Glennon has been to manage the game, limit turnovers, and give the Bears’ defense a chance to win the game. Instead, Glennon played Bucs double-agent in a first half performance that conjured memories of Chicago’s 36-10 disaster at Raymond James Stadium last year. By showing qualities that coach John Fox essentially assured us don’t exist, what the hell is the point of playing the immobile, untalented quarterback?

If any game was a cry for Mitch Trubisky, it was this one. When it was 17-0, I argued that the ensuing Bucs pass rush would eat Glennon alive, and that there was no better time for Trubisky to make his debut.

Of course, Glennon trotted back out there and delivered a pick-six that crushed any logic to play Trubisky this week. And at the time of this writing, the Bears were down 29-0, midway through the fourth quarter. Twenty-nine to zero.

If Trubisky isn’t starting at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers next week, Soldier Field had better be empty other than opposing fans. It’s indefensible for this coaching staff to sell anybody with a brain that Glennon is still the right choice to start. For those saying “Trubisky should take this year to learn on the sidelines,” what in the hell is he learning watching this garbage?

The answer: Not a damn thing.

I love Dowell Loggains, but it’s time to find a new way to get Tarik Cohen the ball until the switch is made at quarterback. The book is out – Glennon can’t throw deep. Or throw at all, really. So, every reasonable defensive coordinator will stack the box and dare the Bears to throw the ball. Again, Glennon can’t. So, the offense will suffer as a result.

The proof? The Bears ran for 14 yards in the first half on 16 carries. At the end of the third quarter, they had 16 carries for 20 yards total. Those are not typos. Amazing.

The defense did not play a great game, especially with some terrible penalties on what should have been third down stops. Those extended drives and allowed the Bucs to get additional points when they shouldn’t have. Couple that with the turnovers, and the defense was gassed. I don’t blame them. And after getting their first turnover of the season down 26-0, I didn’t see very many celebrations or smiles on the sideline. Rightfully so, I suppose, but this defense deserves much better from its counterpart units. They are not the reason the Bears lost this game. Not even close.

Chicago has plenty to work on before their Week 3 game against the Steelers. And I mean plenty. The season can essentially be written off with their 0-2 start with upcoming games against Pittsburgh and Green Bay. Their next realistic shot at a win will come in Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings.

One thing is for sure, this team is only as good as its quarterback and its head coach. And neither of them are good. I don’t know when the right time is to make a change at head coach, but there certainly is one to make a change at quarterback. Next week. At this point, it’s Trubisky or bust for this season.

New Trade Piece Hits the Block and The Bears Can Get Him Cheap

By
Erik Lambert
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bears trade for kenny vaccaro

Trades in the NFL, or any sport for that matter, are based around a simple business acumen. Buy low and sell high. Ship a player out when his value is peaking and buy up a player when his value is low. Teams that are good at this tend to be successful. Thus far it’s unclear GM Ryan Pace is good or bad at it. To date he has never made a significant trade to acquire a player. Most often it was likely due to prices being high. However, an opportunity may have just opened up. Could the Bears trade for Kenny Vaccaro?

For those unfamiliar with the situation, here’s a quick recap. Vaccaro is a 26-year old safety for the New Orleans Saints. He was a first round pick for them back in 2013 and been a starter ever since. However, word is the team may be entertaining the idea of a trade as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports stated.

Now to be fair La Canfora doesn’t exactly have a rich history being right about these things. This case does has some merit though.

Why the Bears trade for Kenny Vaccaro idea could work

For starters Vaccaro is in the final year of his rookie contract. This means barring an extension or a franchise tag he’ll be a free agent in 2018. There is reason to think neither of those things will happen. Why? Namely because the Saints spent second round picks in back-to-back drafts on a safety. They took Vonn Bell out of Ohio State last year and Marcus Williams out of Utah this year.

The plan going forward is likely for them to be the starters. This means Vaccaro is out. So it would make sense that the team is looking to deal him now. Why not see if they can get something back for him before he leaves? Some would argue he’ll get them a compensatory pick but that would not help them until 2019. Dealing him now could help in 2018, something they’d want given the age of Drew Brees.

On the flip side though, this also means Vaccaro would come cheap. No team is going to part with a high draft choice for a guy in the last year of his deal. Not to mention the fact his physical playing style has led to occasional injury issues. Most likely it would cost no more than a fourth rounder, of which the Bears have two.

Why is it worth it?

Now the obvious question from fans is why would the Bears part with a prized draft pick for a safety? They already drafted Eddie Jackson this year and signed Quintin Demps in free agency. Fair point but there’s something to keep in mind. Demps is 32-years old. His shelf life is limited one or two years at most for this team. Vaccaro is 26.

Also there’s what he brings to the table. He is a versatile player. Athletic enough to play coverage but also quite good at dropping into the box against the run. Despite playing just 11 games last year, he had 68 tackles. Given the Bears lost Jerrell Freeman to injured reserve, having another body on the roster who can help make stops is a good thing.

In many ways Vaccaro would be instantly recognizable to Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. His style of play is reminiscent of former star Donte Whitner. Both were known for their fierce, physical style of play. Men who embrace the role of enforcer on the back end. Whiter played three seasons for Fangio and went to two Pro Bowls.

It’s hard to imagine him not having some great ideas on how to employ Vaccaro in the same fashion. Sure a trade like this doesn’t solve bigger issues for Chicago like the wide receiver and pass rusher depth. However, it would likely do something more important.

It would make a team better.

Researching Whether Playing Glennon Beyond 0-2 Start Is Worth It

By
Erik Lambert
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playing mike glennon

Predictably the Chicago Bears are already staring an early end to their season. Their schedule is stacking against them. Their visit to Tampa Bay against the Buccaneers holds great importance. If they lose, they have games against the Steelers and Packers shortly following. The odds of getting a win during that stretch? Poor. So that begs the question. Would there be any reason to playing Mike Glennon again if they lose Sunday?

The entire sales pitch built around the 28-year old by this Bears regime was that he gives them the best chance to win right now. That kind of loses its appeal if he fails to deliver. Sure two games does not always a season make. That’s fair. At the same time holding out Mitch Trubisky would feel more futile than ever.

So it might be good to consult the history books in this case. Is there any instance of a team having a top rookie QB and holding him out despite an 0-2 start? If so, did it matter for the team that season?

Playing Mike Glennon beyond 0-2 start would be pointless

To get a proper understanding of the situation, I dug deep into the history of the draft. The focus was on quarterbacks taken in the top two spots, of which Trubisky is a member. Since the 1970 merger there have been 30 names taken that high prior to this year. Here’s a breakdown of the information.

All told 21 of those picks started for their teams right away. The other 9 of those picks did not. Of those 9 picks, 3 of them did not start despite their teams beginning the year at least 0-2. They were Donovan McNabb in 1999, Carson Palmer in 2003 and JaMarcus Russell in 2007.

This brings up two questions. Did holding the rookie out help the team have success? Did the extended time off the field lead to the player becoming better down the line?

Donovan McNabb

  • Waited 9 games
  • Team finished 5-11
  • 6x Pro Bowler

Carson Palmer

  • Waited 16 games
  • Team finished 8-8
  • 2x Pro Bowler

JaMarcus Russell

  • Waited 15 games
  • Team finished 4-12
  • Bust

Based on this data available, the conclusions to be drawn are clear enough. It neither mattered that the rookies were held out nor that any of them sat out longer than the others. Palmer sat the longest and made two Pro Bowls for his original team. McNabb sat the fewest and went to six while getting his team to a Super Bowl. Russell sat one less than Palmer and was one of the biggest busts in NFL history.

All three teams failed to make the playoffs, so their decisions to sit the rookies came to nothing. There is no proof to be had that sitting them was in any way more or less beneficial to their careers. Thus was there really any point in doing so?

Therein lay the argument. If the Bears start 0-2 with a loss to Tampa on Sunday, their chances of making the playoffs drop to just over 11%. At that point their reasons to keep Trubisky on the bench will be purely based on how delusional head coach John Fox is that Glennon can still lead them to where he wants to go.

Olin Kreutz Clarifies Who Really Caused Game-Ending Sack in Week 1

By
Erik Lambert
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olin kreutz

Chicago Bears fans are used to getting kicked in the gut at this point. Playing games close but ultimately losing became a regular thing last year. The team just hasn’t figured out how to close the. A big issue is their inability to execute properly in the closing minutes of the game. Most remember how last week ended. Mike Glennon got sacked on fourth down just yards away from the end zone. Most blamed right tackle Bobby Massie for the snafu. Former Bears Pro Bowler Olin Kreutz has since debunked that theory.

While it was Massie’s man, Brooks Reed, who dropped Glennon for the sack the reality is that situation was created by something the quarterback did before the snap. Kreutz broke it down in a series of tweets.

Based on the way Leno sets up his feet and turns his body it does look like he was expecting help from left guard Tom Compton. By switching the “Mike” linebacker to #42 at the last second, Glennon left him on an island against the Falcons pass rusher. Given the noise in that stadium at the time there’s good reason to think Leno might’ve missed final adjustment.

Olin Kreutz clarifies Glennon and Leno both had a hand in outcome

Kreutz didn’t go so far as to blame Glennon for the play, however he did hint that he should’ve left the protection adjustment with #45 as the “Mike” linebacker. This would slide the left guard to Leno and only leave center Cody Whitehair in a one-on-one situation. Whitehair is far more reliable in his protection than Leno is. Last year proved that much.

It’s a window into how critical the communication can be between the quarterback and his blockers. People always talk about the passing and audibles. One of the most underrated but vital parts of playing the QB position is understand how to adjust protections to keep a clean pocket. That’s one of the reasons guys like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees have lasted so long.

It’s something even after several years that Glennon hasn’t mastered and that Mitch Trubisky must if he wants to be great.

7 Facts You Didn’t Know About Bears vs. Buccaneers History

By
Erik Lambert
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bears vs. buccaneers

The Bears vs. Buccaneers rivalry is certainly not one people would consider the upper echelon of NFL. Certainly not compared to Bears-Packers, Giants-Eagles, or Broncos-Patriots. At the same time, people can so easily miss some of the compelling facts about a rivalry that has endured over a long stretch of time.

This is definitely the case for Chicago and Tampa Bay. They will face off on week two of the 2017 NFL season. It marks the third-straight year this has taken place. There are plenty of juicy subplots as well. The Buccaneers dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Mike Glennon return to Tampa at the head of a new team.

To commemorate this event, hear are some interesting facts people didn’t know about this not-so-storied history.

Chicago owns the all-time series advantage

This is sure to make Bears fans happy. Indeed since the Buccaneers officially became a franchise in 1976, the two teams have met 57 times with the 58th set to take place on Sunday. To date Chicago owns a comfortable advantage with a 38-19 record. This includes a stretch from 1983 to 1988 where they beat Tampa 12-straight times. By far the biggest of the rivalry. The Bears have won five of the last seven meetings.

Seven shutouts have occurred in the series

Another fascinating twist about the series is how dominant the defenses have been at time. Either that or how inept the offenses have been. Both qualify for these teams. Seven times since their first meeting in 1977 (how’s that for poetry?) has one of them been shut out by the other. The Bears did it to them five times while the Buccaneers own the two most recent. Just don’t look at the quarterbacks for those games. It’s not pretty.

Tampa traded them Dan Hampton

People like to thank Tampa Bay for being the team that did business with the Bears last year in the draft. They were the ones who swapped spots so Chicago could snag Leonard Floyd. What most don’t remember is they were also a huge help in collecting one of the best defensive linemen in franchise history. Back in 1978 the Bears dealt three-time Pro Bowler Wally Chambers in exchange for a future first round pick from Tampa. That pick became the #4 selection in 1979, with which Chicago grabbed future Hall of Famer Dan Hampton.

The Bucs won their first sub-40 degree game ever in Chicago

One of the more amazing stats in NFL history is one regarding the Buccaneers and cold weather. Remember this franchise was born in 1976. So keep that in mind when saying they one their first game that recorded temperatures below 40 degrees in 2002. It took them 26 years. That’s almost some incredible symbolism considering they lost their first 26 games as an organization. The team doing the honors that day? Yep, the Bears at a chilly Soldier Field in December. Coincidentally that was one of the two shutouts the Bucs had as well.

They used to be in the same division

These days the Bears are synonymous with the NFC North division while the Buccaneers reside in the NFC South. This occurred when the league went to an eight-division format in 2002. Before that it used to be six division with an east, west and central. Both these teams were members of the NFC Central. Chicago fans may love then to learn that the Bears won the final three meetings between the team before the division split.

They’ve never met in the playoffs

Again, this is a team that has met 57 times in their history dating back 50 years. In that span they’ve made the postseason a combined 24 times. Yet only three of those times did they both make it in the same year and to date they’ve never met in a playoff game. It’s one of those strange quirky facts that tend to pop up from time to time. One can imagine (or hope) that if Trubisky pans out the two teams might be meeting there a lot in the near future.

The cities have swapped some special players

Another fun little fact about the weird connections the cities share is the players they’ve employed. One or two times throughout history they’ve sent one of their own homegrown athletes to the other to become a star. In the 1950s the Bears collected a young fullback by the name of Rick Casares who would go on to five Pro Bowls and help them win the 1963 championship. Thirty years later the Buccaneers grabbed a local Chicago kid by the name of John Lynch to play safety. He went to nine Pro Bowls and got them a Super Bowl title.

John Lackey And Willson Contreras Completely Melt Down After Missed Third Strike Call

By
Gus
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PHOTO: Chicago Sun Times

With the Cubs holding a slim three game lead in the NL Central, everybody understands the importance of this three-game set with the St. Louis Cardinals. In addition to the tight division race, the Cubs/Cards rivalry speaks for itself and has always produced high energy moments for the past century.

And today was no exception.

With the game tied at one in the fifth inning, Lackey had a 2-2 count on Cardinals pitcher (and owner of dumbest hair in the league) Carlos Martinez. Lackey spun a great breaking ball which, according to K Zone, was clearly a strike. Martinez even walked towards his own dugout but the home plate umpire stood there with his thumb up his ass (figureatively not literally). And like clockwork, Martinez hit the next pitch for an RBI single.

Then then chaos ensued.

Even Lackey’s wife, Kristina, noticed the dog shit call when she posted this on Twitter.

If the remaining two games are anything like what’s went on today at Wrigley, it should be one helluva series.

Chargers Were Savage In Reply To Whether They Fear Jay Cutler

By
Erik Lambert
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jay cutler
SAN DIEGO, CA - NOVEMBER 09: Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears passes against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium on November 9, 2015 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has had an eventful past few months. It was announced that he would retire in all but deed to join the Fox Sports broadcast team. In fact he was slated to call the games between Chicago and Tennessee in preseason and Chicago and Atlanta in the regular season opener. Then things took a swerve.

Ryan Tannehill re-injured the knee he initially hurt last year. He never had surgery to repair it, hoping rehab would be enough. The Miami Dolphins were forced to make a decision. Ride it out with Matt Moore or gamble on bringing in Cutler. With Adam Gase as their head coach, a man who had some success with Cutler in 2015 with Jay under center, the decision was fairly easy.

Cutler signed a one-year deal to join the Dolphins as their new starter.

Dolphins Jay Cutler move isn’t impressing other teams

Turns out though that this move hasn’t exactly changed the status quo for some teams. Miami did not play a game in week one due to Hurricane Irma smacking the state of Florida. They will open their season this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Los Angeles Daily News wanted to get the impressions of certain players on the idea of playing against Cutler. The response was…..blunt.

Retire for three months, and some people lose all respect for you.

That’s essentially the treatment Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler got from Melvin Ingram, whom he will face this Sunday at StubHub Center. Asked on Thursday afternoon what problems Cutler might present this weekend, the Chargers defensive end didn’t miss a beat.

“None,” Ingram said.

Well there isn’t much room for speculation there. At the same time it’s difficult to understand Ingram’s arrogance. Cutler did beat him and the Chargers two years ago with Gase with Chicago. Also Los Angeles just got done losing to Trevor Siemian and the Broncos. So maybe now isn’t the best time to be feeling so high and mighty.

The Bears’ Stubborn Support of Glennon Is Hurting Their TV Ratings

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears contract

The Chicago Bears starting Mike Glennon was a decision by the coaching staff to go with the experienced hand. Head coach John Fox wanted a veteran under center who could manage the offense while letting the defense and running game carry the load. Problem is that old school style of football doesn’t capture the imagination of modern NFL audiences, long since conditioned to seeing top notch quarterback play.

This team was already suffering a major downturn in fan interest at the end of last season. People stopped showing up to games. The vaunted Soldier Fields sellouts finally came to an end, something experts thought would never happen. Problem is the repeated blows of bad football, ugly off-the-field incidents and stubborn inability to evolve finally eroded their confidence in the organization.

Their seeming unwillingness to unshackle their prized #2 overall pick Mitch Trubisky isn’t helping.

Bears starting Mike Glennon is killing fan enthusiasm for the season

By far the biggest piece of excitement Bears fans were clinging to over the past couple months was Trubisky. For the first time in 34 years the franchise had a top five quarterback in the building. His tremendous performances in the preseason fueled that fire, leading some to wonder (and even demand) he get the starting nod over Glennon.

The Bears did not budge. Glennon was kept in place, throwing for 213 yards and a TD in his debut loss to Atlanta. While most experts have said the 28-year old was “fine” in the game, the fact is he was everything people expected. He protected the ball but he led a bland, boring passing offense that produced zero big plays.

Experts had warned it was coming, and sure enough fans made it clear they weren’t interested in watching. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Bears’ TV ratings for the opener were considerably down from last year.

“The Bears and Falcons averaged a 20.8 household rating on FOX-32, which translates to 20.8 percent of the Chicago market or an average of approximately 720,325 homes over the three-hour game.

The 2016 Bears averaged a 22.4 household rating on FOX-32 for their 23-14 Week 1 loss at Houston, where they led the Texans at halftime but got shut out the rest of the way.

Ratings this time around would have been worse if not for a surge of interest in the final minutes, as fans realized the Bears could upset the Falcons.

Roughly 848,460 homes (or 24.5 percent of the market) had the game on as quarterback Mike Glennon led the Bears to the 5-yard-line with 21 seconds left only to stall there with three incomplete passes and a sack.”

Common sense says everything is different if Trubisky plays

There were plenty of explanations for why the ratings were down. Per usual the mix of non-sports related news (Hurricane Irma) combined with concerns over the physicality of the game were used. Truth be told a big reason is the lack of compelling matchups. No doubt the retirement of Peyton Manning didn’t help matters. He was an always reliable draw to the game, especially when battling Tom Brady.

A lot of bad football has been played over the past two years. Much of it due to the fact that the league is undergoing a transition at quarterback. That and a concern over the league saturating fans with too much bad football in primetime. Case and point being the gag-inducing Thursday Night Football venture they continue to promote.

Truth be told it’s not hard to see what’s killing Bears fan investment. They have no desire to watch a career backup quarterback run the show. Glennon may be a nice guy and a good leader, but they’ve seen this movie before. It doesn’t end well. Chicago has endured this formula for over 30 years with little success to show for it. They’ve grown immune to that old sales pitch.

They know Trubisky is the future and aren’t going to part with their attention (or their money) until his time arrives. Sure there will always be the hardcore fans who watch regardless. Football though is a business built around hype. The more buzz it builds, the more money it makes. Chicago football is only buzzing right now because of Tarik Cohen. That’s great, but also not enough.

If they want to really jolt Bears fans out of their growing hibernation, they know what needs to be done.

Collins On His Way Back To Arizona With Congress Of Rookies

By
Matt Enuco
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Zack Collins heads back to instructs with a host of rookies.
Winston-Salem Dash catcher Zack Collins (8) (Ken Inness/MiLB.com)

It happens in an instant, as though God blew out the flame of summer and chilled the fall breeze. I remember standing at the top of the dugout with my arms draped over the protective fencing watching the sun duck behind the left field trees and sucking in the minty autumn air. The seasons were shifting and it meant the end of baseball, the beginning of football and an extended season for the gifted few.

I stood next to Stefan Gartrell, a fellow late-round pick that had just been given his marching orders to report to Double-A and then make his way to Arizona for instructional-league work. I was envious and relieved.  I had shed 20 pounds under the heavy summer heat and punishing schedule but missing an invite to the instructional league was a depressing reminder of my rank-and-file order within the organization.

The White Sox announced their 2017 instructional league roster on Monday inviting a congress of recent draft picks to Arizona for extra work. Joining the White Sox 2017 draft class is a dash of heralded prospects netted in trades. Dylan Cease, Ian Clarkin and Ti’Quan Forbes will travel to Glendale to work with White-Sox coaches while Blake Rutherford will join them as well.

Meanwhile, Zack Collins will grind through another protracted and arduous season at Instructs. Although he played a full season at the University of Miami before being drafted last year, the burden was less burdensome with small breaks between seasons. Collins reported to big-league camp in mid-February with pitchers and catchers and played a full billing in 2017.

After 113 games, he will make his way back to Arizona and continue overhauling his swing while fine-tuning his skills behind the plate. Collins is one of the few call-backs from last year and might play a mentor role to Evan Skoug, the White Sox slugging catcher grabbed in the seventh round from Texas Christian University.

Collins was believed to have near major-league ability at the plate when he was drafted but White Sox brass wanted Collins to polish himself behind the dish. He caught pen after pen in the Arizona Fall League last fall and adjusted his offseason routine to relieve the pounding a catcher’s body takes and create more flexibility. The one thing he didn’t do was adjust his swing.

But professional pitchers muted Collins thunderous bat in his second season. So, he is going back to the drawing board.

“When guys are stepping up on the rubber and they’re throwing 94-95 mph at you, the last thing you want to be going through your head is how to change your swing or how to adjust your swing,” White Sox scouting director Nick Hostetler told James Fegan of The Athletic. “I’ve said it a thousand times about the catching, and catching can delay the development of the bat, and it’s true.”

Indeed catchers are shouldered with a much heavier load to carry to the major leagues than other positions. Besides solving the riddle of professional pitchers, they must learn how to outsmart professional hitters while managing the game from behind the plate. Yet, Hostetler has a bottomless well of confidence in Collins saying he would have taken the Floridian with the first-overall pick if he was blessed with it.

“…hitters hit,” Hostetler went on about Collins. “Sometimes when you get in a rut…and it’s not working for you, you have to go back to the basics and you have to go back to what’s comfortable.”

The hitch is Collins’ pesky flaw. Some hitting coaches would view Collins’ last minute batt waggle as a palpitation to feel the barrel and create whip. Others would observe that it is an invitation for pitchers to pepper him up and in, and that is what pitchers did. Throughout the season opposing pitchers raked Collins around the zone and exposed weaknesses.

Most teams want catchers to be just that, catchers first. It seems Collins will survive behind the plate and when he figures out a proper balance in his mechanics he will be an offensive force given his discerning eye.

The others

Fourteen other rookies will head to the instructional league. Jake Burger, Gavin Sheets, and Luis Gonzalez will head to Arizona as a trio of top-picks with work to do this fall. Noticeably absent are Louisville products, Lincoln Henzman and Kade McClure. Both pitchers fared well in their rookie campaigns and White Sox officials may have wanted to give their arms a break rather than push the limits too quickly.

Craig Dedelow is also remiss from the instructional league roster after posting a tremendous rookie campaign where he batted .306 with 13 home runs and 55 runs batted in.

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