Images of a new Corey Crawford mask have been leaked onto imgur. It has yet to be confirmed if this is indeed the work of his artist Stephane Bergeron or if he will wear it.
It does look like his work and the style Crawford usually goes for. Crawford doesn’t really deviate from the feathers and the classic Blackhawks crest. It’s a standard Crawford looking mask with a matte finish.
Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks news and musings.
It’s one thing when a teammate praises another when asked about them. That’s just standard procedure. What else can they say? They certainly can’t talk trash about them to the media. That earns a fast pass to the dog house in professional sports and has even gotten some players released for it. On the other hand, it’s quite another thing when a teammate praises another without being asked, like this Prince Amukamara Kyle Fuller example.
Here’s a quick backstory recap for those who haven’t kept up. Fuller was the 14th overall pick in the 2014 draft. He had a decent rookie year with four interceptions. Then in 2015 he regressed badly to the point he was benched for a short time. Towards the end of the season he rebounded in a big way and seem poised for a big 2016. A few months later he was forced to have knee surgery and would miss the entire season.
Now the Chicago Bears have set the stage for him. They did not pick up the fifth year option on his rookie contract. That means he has to make the team and then perform well or he’ll be a free agent in 2018. Odds are his chances at a big pay day will be dashed by that point. That’s a lot of pressure on the shoulders of a 25-year old kid.
There is at least one person in the Bears organization who is convinced Fuller will have a big year. That’s new roster addition Prince Amukamara. He spoke with the Chicago Sun-Times recently about how he’s fitting in on defense. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he gushed about his impression of his new young teammate.
The latest was an unsolicited endorsement Thursday from new teammate Prince Amukamara.
‘‘I don’t know what he was last year, but he’s been practicing lights-out,’’ Amukamara said when asked about the competition at cornerback. ‘‘It’s going to be great to see what he does in these [preseason] games.
It was public that his option wasn’t picked up,’’ Amukamara said. ‘‘So a guy like him could just go in the tank, like, ‘OK, this team doesn’t believe in me.’ I haven’t seen that at all. I’ve just seen a guy who comes to work every day and does what he’s asked. He’s been making plays and showing that he wants to compete.’’
Indeed Fuller has looked like a focused man on the field. He’s playing faster and more aggressive than people remember. There’s a sense of urgency about him. Best of all he’s making plays, indicating he hasn’t lost any of the ball skills that made him so valuable prior to his injury. It’s a big reason why the Bears are anxious for him to get back on track.
If this is the Kyle Fuller the Bears will see in 2017, along with Amukamara on the other side? There’s no question this defense could be in business. Leonard Floyd appears poised for a giant year as a pass rusher. The defensive line is stacked with young talents as well. Everything is coming together, health permitting of course. A resurgent Fuller would be sweet, sweet icing on the cake.
What a week for Nicky Delmonico. After trying and failing over and over to make it to the MLB, he finally got the long awaited call earlier this week. In his first game, he recorded his first hit. Now, he has his first career home run. A 3-run bomb that put the White Sox right back in the thick of things against Boston.
HE HUNG IT! HE HURT IT!@Nicky_Delmonico hits his first Major League home run. pic.twitter.com/0TGissVZ8R
— Sox On 35th (@SoxOn35th) August 4, 2017
There’s still a lot of baseball left to be played in this one. Let’s see if Nicky has any more fireworks for us later in the night.
Mike Glennon trade rumors began in Chicago the moment the Bears signed him. That may sound unusual but the logic comes from two factors. The first is the subsequent drafting of Mitch Trubisky. Most believe he is now the future and Glennon is merely a placeholder using this opportunity to audition for other NFL teams. Another is the possibility of dangling him in a deal similar to the Sam Bradford situation last year in Philadelphia.
In other words offer him up to a desperate team that just lost their quarterback to injury. That’s what happened with Minnesota last offseason. Teddy Bridgewater blew out his knee, so the Vikings gave up a first round pick and change for Bradford. The Eagles accepted since they already had Carson Wentz in their back pocket.
Some are hoping the Bears could pull off something similar, if not quite as lucrative as that. Turns out a development down in South Beach may provided an answer.
The narrative is remarkably similar. A playoff team from the previous year with Super Bowl aspirations. A quarterback runs a routine play and goes down on the field having not been touched. This time it’s the Miami Dolphins who watched as Ryan Tannehill went to the ground during practice clutching his knee. The same knee he’d injured last year that knocked him out for the season.
Video of Ryan Tannehill’s injury #Dolphins (h/t @EricElizondo8) pic.twitter.com/2YmRGzKqB7
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) August 3, 2017
News began to spread that it looked bad. The Dolphins feared the worst. Soon that began the speculation about what they should do if that’s the case. Former Super Bowl-winning coach and current analyst Brian Billick asked the million dollar question.
If Miami is Minnesota then who is their Bradford? https://t.co/dDwztwTtVZ
— Brian Billick (@CoachBillick) August 3, 2017
That was when fellow NFL Network expert Adam Rank decided to offer the first option. All he needed was two simple words.
Mike Glennon
— Adam Rank (@adamrank) August 3, 2017
Needless the say the buzz began in earnest. There were plenty of Miami fans who were wide open to the idea. Glennon is a veteran with starting experience. The Bears run a similar offense to Adam Gase. It would at least give the team options besides Matt Moore who clearly wasn’t up to the task in the postseason.
However, initial fears seemed to die down when the MRI came back negative on any structural damage to the knee.
League sources tell the Sun-Sentinel that Ryan Tannehill hyperextended his knee, but the MRI revealed no ligament damage for Miami's starter
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) August 3, 2017
That would seem to kill any potential momentum regarding a trade right? Not so fast. Former NFL doctor David J. Chao reviewed the video and warned that the issue may not be over for Tannehill.
“Ryan Tannehill opted to not have surgery when he suffered what was termed a “partially torn ACL” in his left knee late last season.
It was not unprecedented that he would go the rehab route and attempt to play this season with a brace. But it was a risk that his knee would lack stability.
Now, the Dolphins’ worst nightmare is being lived out, as their quarterback went down without contact in Thursday’s practice.
It appears Tannehill won’t be able to avoid ACL reconstruction surgery this time.
Whether the ACL is “partially” torn is not the issue. The knee has proven to be unstable.
Nine times out of 10, partial ACL ends up unstable and needing surgery. The hope with Tannehill was that he was the exception.
The grainy video is consistent with all instability.
Unfortunately for the hopes of the Dolphins and their fans, it does not seem to be consistent with PCL injury (which is not usually season ending) as some have speculated.
Rolling out, lead leg override and non contact unfortunately fits the narrative of ACL tear.”
In shorter terms the negative MRI may not be the blessed relief Miami was hoping for. Tannehill gambled that he could rehab and play with the partial tear this year. Early signs show the knee may not be up to the task. Thus their dilemma returns. How do they fill that void? There is of course free agency. Colin Kaepernick remains available, as does Jay Cutler who prepares for his new career in broadcasting.
Those might be more palatable options from a financial perspective. At the same time the Glennon option might be best. He’s younger than both and less of a media lightning rod too. It would just come down to price. Pro Football Weekly columnist Arthur Arkush believes the Bears do indeed have a valuable asset on their hands.
Tannehill injury is a reminder of potential valuable asset #Bears could have next offseason if Glennon succeeds as the starter.
— Arthur Arkush (@ArthurArkush) August 3, 2017
Guess is Glennon’s value right now remains minimal when considering his recent inexperience and price tag. Both could change in 2018. #Bears https://t.co/6Slgg1Oa2Z
— Arthur Arkush (@ArthurArkush) August 3, 2017
So maybe the short-term option with Miami might be a tad farfetched. At the same time, if Glennon showcases some positive qualities this season the Bears could definitely get a good return for him by next year. This would usher in Trubisky while also erasing most of what the team gave up in the trade to get him.
Smart business, if that happens.
Stop me when you’ve heard this one before: The Cubs bullpen did some dancing today.
In what has turned into a pretty cool tradition this season, the Cubs bullpen has built quite the reputation for being phenomenal dancers. Ok, maybe not phenomenal but you get my point.
The pen has regularly celebrated home runs from their teammates this season which is shown on closed circuit TV in the home dug out for the rest of the team to openly laugh at.
Even the newest Cub, Justin Wilson, has gotten in on the fun.
Bet ya Justin Wilson didn't get to do this in Detroit. #Cubs pic.twitter.com/TOW8IK5BUm
— Adam Nissen (@nissen54) August 2, 2017
Besides celebrating home runs, the bullpen has also engaged in challenging the visiting team’s pen to some friendly dance offs. We saw an earlier dance off this year between the Cubs and Brewers in May.
Making the most of some extra free time. #CubsWeather pic.twitter.com/rn74m7xic7
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 20, 2017
Well they were back at it again today but this time, they challenged the Arizona Diamondbacks.
.@Cubs 🎣 vs @DBacks 🎳 bullpen dance-off…are you not entertained? pic.twitter.com/xZeBSnUkCD
— CSN Chicago (@CSNChicago) August 3, 2017
Not quite sure why they felt the need to bust out those creepy masks but you got to go with what works for you I guess. Once again, another solid effort from relief pitcher (and self proclaimed best dancer in the bullpen) Carl Edwards.
The series finale between the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks has already been delayed twice and they haven’t even made it beyond the top of the second inning. First pitch was delayed until 2:50 p.m. and then more heavy rain delayed the game in the second inning. One member of the Cubs grounds crew got caught underneath the tarp, so the only way to get out was to go for a little surf.
#Cubs grounds crew member gets caught under the tarp. pic.twitter.com/kPI50OXiy5
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) August 3, 2017
Every year the NFL Network has a special episode dedicated to predicting the records for each team that season. The Chicago Bears record prediction has finally arrived. How did they do? Well things must be prefaced by noting that Heath Evans and Elliot Harrison were the men making the picks. Both have histories of being notoriously hard on the Bears.
Harrison ranked the Bears as the 29th team in the league after the NFL draft, almost making fun of Ryan Pace for his rationale when drafting Mitch Trubisky and Tarik Cohen. Evans was even worse, slamming the Bears for the Trubisky selection and stating he’d likely never resemble anything like an NFL starting QB.
So again, these are the two guys deciding the 2017 record for Chicago. You can pretty much guess what happens next.
It’s no secret that everybody views the start of the Bears’ season as a lost cause. They’re playing four teams who had a winning record in 2016 right out of the gate. Three of those teams played in conference championship games. That is a brutal first month. So it’s not fair to criticize Evans for giving them four-straight losses. Given where the Bears are at in their development, it’s a real possibility.
Where things went off the rails came later on. Winning five of their next seven games was a pretty fair move including three-straight in the division. However, that good will went out the window when Harrison inexplicably gave them five-straight losses to end the year. This includes dropping games to teams like the 49ers and Browns. Both of whom had worse records than the Bears in 2016.
This is where their anti-Chicago bias most definitely seeps in. For the Bears to not get at least one of those two games and a second amidst the Bengals, Lions and Vikings matchups? That’s as pessimistic as it gets.
Still, that’s the final tally. The Bears will finish 5-11 in 2017. In all likelihood that means John Fox gets fired and the coaching staff changes. Here’s hoping that, like almost every year, they’re wrong.
One of the many things that I love about Cubs fans is the pride they take in showing everyone how much they love their team. It doesn’t matter where you go in the United States, the odds of you seeing a Cubs t-shirt or Cubs hat are pretty good no matter where you travel (especially since they’re actually good now.)
The newest craze in the past decade has been the W flag that flies above Wrigley Field after the Cubs win their game. The flag has been around for about a century but it hasn’t been very popular until the 2015 social media campaign (#FlyTheW) really put the W flag into the limelight. When the #FlyTheW hashtag blew up on Twitter in 2015, it was pretty difficult to go anywhere in Chicago and NOT see the W flag flying.
I’ve been consumed by the flag obsession and I proudly fly a majestic W flag in my backyard for all my neighbors to see. Luckily, both of my neighbors are Cubs fans so I’ve never had an issue with them or their hatred for such a beautiful flag.
One Southwest suburban woman wasn’t so lucky.
Cassie McDonald of Tinley Park recently received an anonymous letter about her W flag that she flies proudly. Read the letter below and tell me that this isn’t the world’s crabbiest neighbor on Earth (and probably a White Sox or Cardinals fan.)
“Dear Neighbor,
After many conversations with other neighbors from across 167th street, we are asking if you could please take down your “w” flag off of your porch and put it on a flag pole, where it should be hung. Hanging it off your front porch is very frat house looking and makes our area look bad — just like the run down apartments on the North side of 167th just East of Harlem. If you haven’t noticed how trashy they look with their flags hanging off their balconies, maybe you will now.
Thanks.”
Maybe it’s the jerk in me but this letter would only give me motivation to paint my entire house in pinstripes and construct a sound system to blare “Go Cubs Go!” at all times of the day. If you ever read this Cassie and you need some help decorating your house, just give me a call.
Fly that W proudly!
In late March, as the Bulls were fighting their way into the 8th playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a late-season surge, ESPN released their rankings of NBA owners from best to worst. Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf came in at 23rd on that list, which seemed fair. Sure, Reinsdorf has looked like an absentee owner at the United Center in recent years as he defers to his son Michael and their front office duo of Gar Forman and John Paxson. But there are definitely several owners elsewhere around the league who are proactively doing worse damage to their franchises than Jerry’s disinterest and inactivity has hurt the Bulls.
Fast forward a few months, and the basketball website HoopsHype just released their own NBA ownership rankings. These rankings, however, were not done by a panel of NBA analysts. It’s an ongoing, ever-changing ranking that allows fans to vote owners higher or lower than their current position. Right now Reinsdorf sits in 28th place, only higher than Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and Knicks owner James Dolan.
Gilbert and Dolan surely deserve to hold the bottom two spots. The Cavs owner is getting buried from all sides as his organization endures a chaotic and unfruitful offseason. Without purposefully offending Derrick Rose, Cleveland hasn’t gotten any better while the defending champion Warriors managed to bring back all important pieces of last season’s roster and even added a few useful veterans. Not only that, Gilbert fired his GM mere hours away from the NBA draft, which likely cost them decent chances at orchestrating draft night trades for Jimmy Butler or Paul George. And Dolan’s Knicks? They’re a dumpster fire. At least the Cavs look to be the East favorites to get back to the Finals this season, with or without a disgruntled Kyrie Irving. The Knicks are going nowhere fast, and it falls mostly on Dolan.
As for Reinsdorf, he might be getting a slightly unfair deal on these rankings. I’d put Kings owner Vivek Ranadive below Jerry despite Sacramento’s promising haul on draft night. If Bulls fans think the Butler deal with Minnesota was bad, go back and research exactly how the DeMarcus Cousins trade went down. Ranadive couldn’t have played that any worse than he did. I think Mikhail Prokhorov deserves to be below Reinsdorf too. The Nets are a mess, and his excessive spending (both financially and with trade assets) has dug that franchise a seemingly insurmountable hole. Said excessive spending on aging veterans made Brooklyn nothing more than a brief playoff afterthought.
Still, Bulls fans know all too well that this is Jerry’s stepchild. He doesn’t love the Bulls like he loves his White Sox. Both teams are going through “rebuilds” this year, but the White Sox are furiously collecting ace prospects for their farm system. That rebuild – assuming said prospects stay healthy – is going to work. It’s still early, but thus far the Bulls rebuild doesn’t look nearly as promising. In his final years, Reinsdorf would much rather see the White Sox get back to World Series contention than see the Bulls pull it together. He already has 6 rings from the ’90s dynasty. What he wants more than anything is another White Sox winner before he goes the way of the dodo.
It’s an annoying truth for Chicagoans who care more about the Bulls than the Sox, but it’s a truth nonetheless. And Jerry’s indifference is enough to rank him near the bottom tier of NBA owners.
What do you think? Is 28 too high or too low for Reinsdorf’s ranking among other NBA owners? Click here to cast your vote!
John Fox has been an NFL coach since 1989, a span of 28 years. It’s fair to say he knows what good football players look like at this point. That’s especially true for defensive backs. After all, he was one in college and during his brief pro stint as player in Tampa Bay. Then he coached the position from 1979 to 1993 before becoming a defensive coordinator. It’s his specialty. So for him to even hint at an Eddie Jackson Rod Woodson comparison? That is kind of a huge deal.
Here’s some back story before continuing. Woodson is a Hall of Fame player who reached 11 Pro Bowls in his career. That includes seven as a cornerback and four as a safety. His versatility and playmaking skills were legendary. As evidenced by his 72 career interceptions and reaching the Super Bowl with three different franchises. He’s also somebody Fox knows personally.
He coached Woodson for three seasons from 1989 to 1991 when Fox was defensive backs coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not only did Woodson go to the Pro Bowl as a corner three-straight years, he also amassed over 3,600 all-purpose yards as a return man. During his time at Alabama, Bears rookie safety Jackson exhibited a similar array of skills.
So why? Why did Fox feel comfortable dropping Woodson’s name in reference to Jackson? A big part of it was thanks to how the rookie is practicing. His instinct and playmaking skills have really begun to emerge. He was the first defensive back to intercept fellow Bears rookie Mitch Trubisky and as yet is still the only one. Then the next day he made another one on Mark Sanchez.
Both interceptions were less mistakes by the QBs and more Jackson reading the play and making great breaks on the ball. That was exactly how Woodson did it so many times. Thus when Fox was asked about the Alabama product, he slipped his former pupils’ name in there.
Of course this doesn’t mean Fox expects Jackson to be like Woodson. It only means he sees the same potential. Jackson of course will chart his own path in the NFL. It’s just exciting to hear that possibility exists. The Bears haven’t had a proper blue chip safety in over a decade. There are plenty of experts out there who weren’t fans of his in the draft.
NFL.com analyst and former scout Daniel Jeremiah was not one of them. He tried to warn people not to overlook what Jackson could be.
“While this safety class is incredibly talented and deep, Jackson is still a player worthy of a selection in the first three rounds,” Jeremiah writes. “He should be 100 percent healthy in the very near future and his combination of instincts, range and ball skills is outstanding. He has played cornerback in the past and he has the ability to play in the slot if needed.
He’s also a very accomplished punt returner. He isn’t an overly physical force defender, but he is an effective tackler. Overall, I’m a little shocked we aren’t hearing more about him. He deserves some attention and I have a feeling he’s going to get it over the next few weeks.”
If Jackson pans out, the Bears will be grateful that nobody caught on.
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