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The Bears Crushed the NFL Top 30 Special Teams in 30 Years Rankings

By
Erik Lambert
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There was a time when the Chicago Bears special teams was the envy of the entire NFL. It got to be so good at times that teams actually had to game plan how they’d play Chicago. Needless to say many fans miss those days, having lived through the past few years of general mediocrity. Then again that’s just how life in football can go.

ESPN has conducted a research experiment of late to look back through the past 30 years in the NFL. They wanted to breakdown the 30 best offenses and 30 best defenses. Chicago failed to crack the first list and somehow had only one unit on the second. Surprisingly it was the third phases of these lists where they’d shine the brightest.

According to the numbers, Chicago had no fewer than four of the 30 best special teams units since 1987.

Chicago Bears special teams changed the game

One could say that the sheer dominance of the Bears special teams during that era changed the game forever. The NFL changed their kickoff rules not long after. Special teams value was dampened in the name of player safety. There’s truth to that, but it’s still such a shame. There can be no doubt that those units made football exciting to watch. More so than any other special teams maybe in history.

The best of the bunch, the 2007 unit, was the perfect example of the machine they’d built.

“What’s better than a Devin Hester season with five touchdown returns? How about a Devin Hester season with six touchdown returns? Hester had four punt returns for touchdowns and a remarkable average of 15.5 yards per return, plus he added two more touchdowns on kickoff returns. But this was no one-man show. The Bears were third in field goal value, with Robbie Gould hitting 31 of 36 opportunities, and the Bears blocked three punts, four field goals and an extra point. (Demonstrating the somewhat random nature of such plays, the Bears blocked a field goal in the first four weeks of the season, then didn’t do so again the rest of the season.)

By the way, this is the seventh team on this top 30 coached in some way by Dave Toub. He was the coordinator for the four Chicago teams on this list as well as the 2013 and 2016 Kansas City Chiefs, and he was John Harbaugh’s special-teams assistant on the 2001 Philadelphia Eagles.”

Hester and Toub show

There were plenty of prime time players in that successful run. Robbie Gould was obvious. Underrated punter Brad Maynard and long snapper Patrick Mannelly. Then there were Johnny Knox, Corey Graham and Brendon Ayanbadejo all going to Pro Bowls for their contributions. However, anybody could see that the greatness centered on two men:  coordinator Dave Toub and return man Devin Hester.

Toub was and still is considered the great special teams mastermind of the age. Nobody has broken down coaching that phase to such a science like him. He’s had success everywhere he’s been and remains a hot head coaching name for it. Of course the superstar will always be Hester. People thought they knew what great return skill looked like. Then they saw him. His speed, his quickness, and his vision were on levels that just didn’t seem human.

He broke the NFL record for most return touchdowns in a career at the age of 28. It took him just five seasons to break a mark the previous holder had built across 13. Giving him to a man of Toub’s coaching prowess? It was a match made in football heaven and Bears fans got to live it each and every Sunday.

WATCH: Top 5 Marian Hossa Blackhawks Moments

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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Marian Hossa has been nothing but steady through his whole career which makes it sad that it is over so abruptly. He was a consistent scorer, relentless forechecker, five-time all-star and three-time Stanley Cup winner. One day he should have a spot in Toronto at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Hossa didn’t play with flash and was never under fire with the media, because he let his play do the talking. The Blackhawks organization and fans could always count on him. He scored 20 or more goals six times in 8 seasons with the Hawks and provided fans with endless enjoyment. As a result, the Sports Mockery staff picked these as the most memorable moments of Marian Hossa’s Blackhawks career.

5. Hossa Catches Puck and Bats It In

This is as about as flashy as Hossa ever got on the ice and it was only out of necessity. He caught a deflected puck with his hand and soft tossed it to himself to bat it in for a goal. An amazing display of hand-eye coordination.

4. Coast-To-Coast Wraparound Goal

This goals just exemplifies the two-way player that Hossa was, even in his 16th season. He steals the puck, takes it from opposite blue line and all the way in for the wraparound goal.

3. Crushes Dustin Brown In 2014 Western Conference Final

Hossa wasn’t known for his overly physical play, but at 6’1″ and 210 lbs “Big Hoss” could lay the wood. Example: Dustin Brown

2. 500th Goal

On October 18, 2016 Marian Hossa became only the 44th player in NHL history to score his 500th goal. A true testament to his steady play, Hossa scored 20 or more goals in 15 of his 19 seasons. Five times he scored 30 or more and three times scored at least 40.

1. Beginning Of The Blackhawks Dynasty

On April 24, 2010 Hossa scored one of the most important goals in Blackhawks history. The first round series was tied 2-2 and the Hawks had been struggling. Enter…err exit Marian Hossa from the penalty box and straight to the net for the OT winner. The rest is history.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks news and musings.

This Is The Receiver John Fox Is Most Impressed With So Far

By
Erik Lambert
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There is no doubt the Chicago Bears wide receiver position is under the microscope. Most agree how this ragtag group plays in 2017 will be a huge factor in the fate of the season. Especially given the massive turnover at quarterback. There are plenty of question marks. Kevin White has his health issues. Is Cameron Meredith a flash in the pan? Markus Wheaton wants to show his ascent in 2015 wasn’t a fluke. Does Victor Cruz have any gas left in the tank?

All valid concerns. If they can step up to overcome them, then the Bears are in business. As it turns out though, none of those guys have garnered much attention in practice. At least not from head coach John Fox. The 62-year old has seen some great receivers in his time from Steve Smith to Demaryius Thomas. He knows what good ones look like.

That’s why it was a little surprising when he singled out Kendall Wright. During an interview with the Daily Herald, Fox wasn’t bashful in his praise of the former first round pick.

Kendall Wright a surprise positive in Bears wide receiver position

“Kendall’s had good production in this league, primarily as a slot,” Fox said. “He’s got outstanding quickness. He’s blended in pretty well with us. He’s got a good feel for the game. He’s had good production in our league, albeit not real recently. I like what I’ve seen from him.”

Wright started out strong in his NFL career. He posted 1,000 yards in just his second season back in 2013. Then he slowly started to regress, unable to top 500 in each of the past two. The 26-year old wasn’t shy putting much of the blame for that on how he was used by the coaches. Not trying to get him the ball enough and such. That explains why he came to Chicago. His best run came when Dowell Loggains was offensive coordinator in Tennessee.

It would make sense that he’d want to recapture that chemistry. The two just seemed to fit together. That much was evident both from the tape and the stat sheet.

Nobody is saying that Wright should morph back into an emerging superstar. At the same time, he’s still young. The guy was drafted in the first round for a reason. He has talent. If put in the right situation there’s reason to believe he can produce. That would be most welcome for sure.

Bears Snubbed Big Time in Best Defenses of Past 30 Years Rankings

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears
CHICAGO - SEPTEMBER 17: Tommie Harris #91 (c), Brian Urlacher #54 (L) and Lance Briggs #55 (R) of the Chicago Bears celebrate after Harris recorded a sack against the Detroit Lions September 17, 2006 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears won 34-7. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

To the shock of absolutely nobody, ESPN seems to delight in finding ways to poke at Chicago whenever they have a chance. How else can they explain their rankings of the 30 best defenses in the past 30 years? Just one Bears defense made the list. That in itself was an eye opener considering they’ve had several great ones since the late 1980s.

In collaboration with Football Outsiders, it was determined that the 2012 defense was the ninth-best group in the past three decades. That was the group headlined by the veteran core of Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Julius Peppers, and Charles Tillman. The explanation for their inclusion wasn’t an issue. In fact it was acceptable.

“For nearly a decade, Lovie Smith’s Bears had excellent defenses built around linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs along with cornerback Charles Tillman. This was the last gasp of that multiyear run — and surprisingly, according to DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), the best. The Bears led the league with 44 takeaways and were tied for fourth at 4.95 yards allowed per play, despite playing one of the 10 toughest defensive schedules in the league.

The next year, Urlacher retired and Briggs and Tillman combined to play just 17 games, and the Bears’ defense plummeted from first to 25th in DVOA.”

1988 and 2005 Bears defense incarnations robbed

While the numbers junkies have their way of explaining why each of the defenses are great, the fact of the matter is it’s flawed. There is just no way they can justify putting the 2012 defense on that list without including either the 1988 or 2005 versions on there. One could make a very convincing argument that they were better.

The 1988 defense allowed just 4.46 yards per play for starter, considerably better than 2012. They also allowed 62 fewer points that season (215 to 277). On top of that they helped produce 26 interceptions (24 in 2012) and had a 12-4 record despite their offense scoring fewer points overall that year (315 to 375). So tell us again how the hell that works.

Then there’s the 2005 unit. The actual best Lovie Smith defense of his Bears tenure. They gave up even fewer points (202) than the 1988 version with an offense that scored just 260. Yet they somehow had an 11-5 record, besting the 2012 version by one game. They allowed just 4.36 yards per game and had the same number of interceptions at 24.

With respect to the fancied up stat machine, it’s hard to find any justification for the 2012 defense, fun as it was to watch, was better than those groups.

Dwyane Wade Fires Back At Critics After Picking Up $24 Million Option

By
Matt Peck
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dwyane wade fires back critics 24 million option

When his first season with the Bulls came to an end, Dwyane Wade said he would take some time to think about his future before coming to a decision on his $23.8 million player option to stay in Chicago. The future Hall of Famer said he felt no need to “ring chase”, and would weigh the state of the Bulls, finances and his family’s best interests when making that decision.

He made that decision on Tuesday, officially confirming to Bulls management that he will pick up the option and come back for a second season. Wade’s choice came in the middle of a week owned by Jimmy Butler trade rumors in Chicago. Dwyane said on multiple occasions that he wanted the Bulls to keep Butler, and alluded to his disinterest in being around for the first stage of a full-scale rebuild. Nonetheless, he handed the Bulls his confirmation before knowing whether or not Butler will be back. (Unless, of course, Wade knows Gar Forman and John Paxson have been posturing this whole time and never intended to trade Jimmy.)

In any case, plenty of angry Bulls fans flocked to Twitter Tuesday afternoon to take their frustrations out on Wade for his decision to stick around. Obviously, many in #SeeRed Nation believe that $24 million could’ve been spent more wisely had Wade opted out and hit free agency. Does Dwyane care about that?

Hell no.

$24 Million Reasons

On Tuesday evening, TNT’s David Aldridge tweeted this interaction he had with Wade:

Of course Dwyane knew that Aldridge would share his answer with the world on social media. He didn’t sugar coat any of it. He gave a truthful, blunt answer and he didn’t care who knew. It reminded me of Steve Nash’s similar answer when he chose not to retire in 2014. No shame in saying you want the money. If any of Wade’s critics were in his shoes, 95% of them would do the exact same thing.

Wade wasn’t finished. In addition to his blunt answer to Aldridge, Wade also offered up his own tweet reminding critics of his numbers last season:

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press did some research and found Wade’s bragging was backed up by history.

Guess who retweeted that? Yup, Wade.

Oh, and one final thing. In case any Bulls fans were still out there throwing trash at Wade for picking up his option and not deserving this money, he gave them a little reminder of what his life is right now via Instagram.

Morning views!!! #Florence #italyiloveyou

A post shared by dwyanewade (@dwyanewade) on

Wade woke up to this beautiful view in Florence, Italy this morning. Not too shabby. While Bulls fans are condemning Wade on the internet for his money grab, he’s off on an Italian family vacation.

Well played, Dwyane. Very well played.

Hossa And Blackhawks Confirm He Will Not Play In 2017-2018

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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Marian Hossa and the Chicago Blackhawks have released a statement about his health following last night’s report, and it’s not good. Hossa will miss the 2017-2018 season.

Maybe, just maybe there is a positive to take from this and we can see him on the ice again. The word retirement was not used and they only mentioned missing next season. From the wording, it sounds like he will be put on long-term injured reserve as he and his medical staff search for an answer.

We wish the best for Marian Hossa and hopefully the doctors can figure something out. Below you can read the statement from Marian Hossa and the statements from Stan Bowman and Dr. Michael Terry here.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks news and musings.

Marian Hossa May Be Done In The NHL Due To Health Concerns

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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Elliotte Friedman from Sportsnet in Canada reported late Tuesday night that Marian Hossa’s career may be over. He heard this from several sources but Hossa nor his agent, Ritch Winter, could be reached and the Blackhawks declined to comment.

Apparently Hossa suffers from a serious allergic reaction to the equipment he wears. According to the sources, this is no joke and stressed that “it’s only funny to anyone who’s never had it.” Hossa was reportedly giving blood tests every few weeks because the potency of the medication can cause major side effects. The doctors worried about Hossa taking the medication for an extended period of time and it may be what causes him to retire.

Because people care more about money than other people, this of course comes with controversy when looking at Hossa’s contract. About 94% of his front-loaded contract has been paid as he would only make $1 million per year, the next four seasons. He still accounts for a $5.275 million cap hit per season.

Hossa’s retirement would not allow the Blackhawks to just shed his contract though. Because of the CBA signed in 2013, the organization would have to pay “cap recapture” penalties. That would be $3.675 million of the cap number through 2020-2021 when his contract expires. The Blackhawks are up against the salary cap already and this isn’t a penalty they can afford to be paying.

There is one catch. The Blackhawks could put Hossa on long-term injured reserved. According to CapFriendly.com, this provides salary cap relief if the club’s average salary begins to exceed the upper limit.

Other organizations may have problems with this but it is not an uncommon practice in the NHL. The Arizona Coyotes used the long-term injured reserve on Chris Pronger all of last season. Most fans probably didn’t even know that he was still a contracted NHL player.

This isn’t the way anyone’s career should end and this would be terrible for the future Hall Of Famer. Hossa still has gas left in the tank and we wish him the best in his efforts to return.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks news and musings.

Blackhawks Have One Very Subtle Change On New Jersey

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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Adidas signed the contract to become the official supplier of NHL jerseys in 2015. Tonight they unveiled the jerseys for each NHL team, including the Chicago Blackhawks.

Much to the delight of this Blackhawks fan, there were no significant changes. The crest and shoulder patches continue to be chain-stitched, which is great. It adds depth and detail that no other NHL team has in their uniform set.

The only change outside of fabrics that are 19% lighter than before, is a crew neck collar. The Blackhawks sported this collar from 1981-2007 until Reebok took over and added the NHL crest to a v-neck collar.

If you were hoping for a third Blackhawks jersey, that’s not happening again this year. No teams will have a third because Adidas wanted to streamline everything for this season. There will be special jerseys for outdoor and special games.

It’s hard to improve on a classic look like the Blackhawks. I’m happy that either the organization vetoed any changes or Adidas had the smarts to not try. In my opinion, it is the best looking Jersey in hockey.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks news and musings.

Avi Garcia And Matt Davidson Stay Hot, Hit Back-To-Back Dingers

By
Emmet McClain
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Avisail Garcia, Chicago White Sox

The White Sox got into a 2-0 hole early tonight, but that changed fairly quickly as Avi launched a 2-run opposite field bomb. They weren’t done yet though.

Matt Davidson says anything you can do, I can do better! He backs up Avi with a solo shot of his own. Davidson has been on an absolute tear the past couple weeks. He now has 16 home runs on the season, putting him on pace for 38!

It is currently a home run barrage in Minnesota, as the Twins have retaken the lead on a 2 run bomb of their own. They currently lead 6-4 in the bottom of the 3rd.

Anthony Rizzo Ties Cubs Record After Hitting Another Leadoff Home Run

By
Aldo Soto
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The greatest leadoff hitter of all-time is still living up to that status, as Anthony Rizzo began Tuesday night’s game with a home run against the San Diego Padres. Rizzo tied a Chicago Cubs record that dates back to 1960, when Richie Ashburn reached safely in seven straight games from the leadoff position. Rizzo matched that feat with his third leadoff home run in a week.

Since Rizzo has been placed at the top of the lineup, he’s gone 6-for-6, with three home runs and a walk. In just one week of leading off, Rizzo is tied for the fourth most leadoff home runs in 2017.

Anthony Rizzo is unstoppable right now.

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