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Bears Passing Game Is Mirror Image of This Playoff Contender

By
Erik Lambert
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cameron meredith
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 09: Cameron Meredith #81 of the Chicago Bears catches a touchdown pass against Patrick Robinson #25 of the Indianapolis Colts during the game at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 9, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bears passing game is a somewhat curious beast. On the surface it looks like a mishmash of certain elements that have worked for teams elsewhere but still lacking an identity of its own. Granted, that identity can’t be forged until the personnel required to run it are in place. Remember there could be as many as 3-4 new starters on that side of the ball alone based on how preseason and training camp go.

That being said, what if one were to look ahead? Take a second and play the most likely scenario out regarding who starts. Mike Glennon at quarterback. Cameron Meredith, Kevin White and Victor Cruz at wide receiver. Zach Miller and Adam Shaheen at tight end. Seeing those players and what they bring to the table, it turns out the Bears do in fact resemble something similar in the NFL.

The Baltimore Ravens.

Bears passing game reflects the Ravens?

Mirroring the Ravens isn’t exactly a terrible plan. They’ve won two Super Bowls since the year 2000 and have made the playoffs 10 times. Clearly they’re an organization that knows what they’re doing. Maybe that’s why GM Ryan Pace covets a number of their discarded players. Pernell McPhee and Deonte Thompson both came from there. They also reportedly made an aggressive run at Ravens offensive tackle Ricky Wagner before he signed with Detroit.

It’s not a stretch to think Pace might be trying to duplicate the system implemented by the Ravens. Their long-term success speaks for itself. Now take a look at the structure of their passing game. Upon closer inspection it’s pretty clear the Bears are mirroring much of what they do.

Big pocket quarterback

  • Joe Flacco:  6’6″, 232 lbs
  • Mike Glennon:  6’7″, 225 lbs

Receivers built through speed

  • Mike Wallace (4.33), Breshad Perriman (4.27), Michael Campanaro (4.46)
  • Kevin White (4.35), Cameron Meredith (4.42), Victor Cruz (4.47)

Stockpiled tight ends

  • Dennis Pitta, Benjamin Watson, Maxx Williams
  • Zach Miller, Adam Shaheen, Dion Sims

Now people are going to scoff at the idea the Bears mimicking the approach Baltimore has taken. Why not Green Bay, or New Orleans or New England? Well they don’t have any of those elite QBs, first off. Flacco is above average but not elite. Glennon is sort of a poor man’s version of him. That makes this offensive approach more viable.

Then there’s the fact that it’s more effective than people care to realize. In 2016 the Ravens ranked 12th in the NFL in passing offense. Flacco threw for 4,317 yards, the highest of his career. Baltimore also ranked fifth in the league with yards after the catch at 2,142. A big reason for that was the investment in speed they’d made, just like the Bears have.

In the end though the offense only ranked 17th overall. That contributed to their disappointing 8-8 finish. What went wrong? Put simply they couldn’t run the ball.

They didn’t have Jordan Howard

That’s right. Normally a franchise all about ground and pound, the Ravens just couldn’t establish their running game last year. They ranked a dismal 28th in that category with their leading rusher having just 774 yards on the ground. Imagine how different it might’ve been had Jordan Howard been on their roster.

That could end up being the vital difference between the two. Chicago can run the football much better than Baltimore. If the two passing attack are even reasonably similar, then the Bears might be in better shape than people realize. Of course much of this depends on Glennon living up to the contract they gave him and the receivers staying healthy. A problem that is already nerve-racking after Cameron Meredith bowed out of OTAs with a thumb issue.

Things still have to go right. At the same time it’s easier to see now what Pace is going for. He’s trying to build a balanced attack that fits the desires of his head coach. John Fox and John Harbaugh aren’t too different in terms of styles after all. The picture is clearing up, and it’s not a bad plan.

Kyle Schwarber Gives The Cubs A Lead With A GRAND SLAM!

By
Aldo Soto
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KYLE SCHWARBER WITH THE GRAND SLAM!

No one, literally no one else on the Chicago Cubs needed that more than Kyle Schwarber. Oh baby!

Here’s the Real Reason The Mike Glennon Signing Was Brilliant

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears roster

The Mike Glennon signing, financial costs aside, was viewed as a solid enough move for GM Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears. If nothing else the veteran former backup was a good first step away from the Jay Cutler era. He brought decent ability and 18 starts worth of experience. Sure $18.5 million guaranteed sounds excessive but not when compared to others. It’s basically right around the league average.

Most began to assume the team would roll with him for 2017. They’d use this year to continue filling out the roster. Then they’d likely pursue their QB of the future in 2018. Seems Pace didn’t get that memo. He was too busy executing a flawless subterfuge in the draft to grab North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

Instantly the same question was shouted over and over. “Well if they always planned to draft Trubisky, why in the hell did they pay so much money to sign Glennon?” There are a number of reasons. For one Glennon is far from a sure thing as a starter. He did go 5-13 in that role with Tampa Bay. The Bears have no reason to assume he’ll be a lot better this time around. Drafting Trubisky is a smart insurance move.

That’s not the only reason though. It’s becoming clear there might’ve been another, and it’s all sorts of savvy by Pace.

Mike Glennon signing provides a template for Trubisky to learn

His primary job is to win football games in 2017. Glennon didn’t sign his contract to mentor Trubisky. That’s fair, but it’s a job he’s already doing whether intentional or not. One thing the Bears learned about Glennon in their exhaustive research since last year is that he’s the ideal teammate. He works hard, is unselfish and pushes others to do and be the same. Like any good leader would.

Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times confirmed many of these traits in action during this offseason.

The day before veteran receiver Victor Cruz signed his Bears contract, he got a call from his soon-to-be new quarterback, Mike Glennon.

“He wanted to have dinner and talk a little bit,” Cruz said.

He organized workouts and throwing sessions with teammates at Deerfield High School before the offseason program began. He treated teammates to a Bulls game.

And with Trubisky present, Glennon remains a prominent voice during workouts and in practices.

“He’s been pushing everybody,” running back Jordan Howard said. “When he sees people are down or dropping pads, he comes up to them and tells them, ‘Next play’ or, ‘Keep your head up’ and things like that. Even in our workouts, he’s just telling us to keep pushing and [making sure] everyone works hard.”

Learning to be a pro QB isn’t just about the Xs and Os

People often make the mistake of thinking that being a great quarterback comes down to understand schemes, throwing accurate passes and having good reflexes. Those are all important but still just the tip of the iceberg. Look at Tom Brady, Drew Brees and others and ask why they’re great, teammates won’t reference those first. More often than not it’s the command in the huddle and leadership off the field that they gravitate towards.

This was often a problem references about Jay Cutler. Nobody doubted his work ethic, talent or toughness. The issue was he didn’t have the charisma or sociability to lead. One former teammate claimed he “thought other people were idiots.” It’s easy to understand how that might rub a lot of guys the wrong way, and why execution offensively was so hit-and-miss.

By signing Glennon the Bears have provided the ideal template for Trubisky to learn from. Somebody who is a down-to-earth family man that works hard and never stops encouraging those around him to be better. Trubisky has the physical tools to succeed in the NFL. What he needs to learn is how to operate within a professional locker room and ultimately how to take it over.

In essence the Bears spent $18.5 million on a private tutor to show him exactly how it’s done.

Bryce Harper Wants To Play For The Chicago Cubs

By
Aldo Soto
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Let’s just go into fantasy land for a quick second. Imagine the Chicago Cubs signing Bryce Harper, stealing him away from the New York Yankees. If you thought people hated the Cubs now, you better get ready to see the amount of hate directed at the Cubs when that free agent signing occurs.

OK, back to reality.

As much as I want to believe in that fantasy land, there’s maybe a 0.1% chance of it happening, maybe? Here’s how this talk began. Peter Gammons, you know him, longtime MLB reporter, went on The Mully And Hanley Show on 670 The Score on Friday and he eventually said the following, “I have people telling me that Bryce Harper really would prefer to play for the Cubs.”

Oh really now? GET IT DONE THEO!

Although I’m putting the chances of the Cubs signing Harper at 0.1% it doesn’t mean the Cubs won’t pursue him. We all know that Harper and Kris Bryant have been friends since they were in little league together in Las Vegas. Tom Ricketts made a solid investment buying the Cubs and is basically buying the area surrounding Wrigley Field, so maybe he’ll be willing to throw down some serious cash to get Harper. That new TV money is coming for the Cubs too. The Cubs would be dumb not to at least kick the tires on Harper when he becomes a free agent.

But why was it brought up in the first place? Well, Gammons was asked about a possible contract extension for Bryant, as Jon Heyman reported that the 2016 NL MVP said no to a long-term deal this past offseason. Gammons talked about what happiness could represent for a player and maybe it’s not always about money. He discussed how the Albert Pujols deal is basically a train wreck, but that the basis for what a Kris Bryant contract could look like would be determined by looking at what Bryce Harper will receive after 2018.

And that’s when Gammons dropped that little nugget about Harper wanting to play for the Cubs. However, Gammons immediately says he doesn’t see that ever happening because it would be difficult to have two ridiculous contracts with Harper and Bryant. However, Bryant isn’t a free agent until 2021.

Let’s dream again. Harper doesn’t win with the Washington Nationals, he sees the success his good friend is having with the Cubs and wants some of the action because it turns out that deep inside happiness for Bryce Harper is being around people he likes and winning.

Let me dream, OK! Hey, people thought, even some Cubs fans, that the Cubs would never win a World Series and they did. They had a ring ceremony and Anthony Rizzo brought out the World Series trophy like a badass. It was awesome. So, why not Bryce Harper to the Cubs?

Anyway, I don’t think Gammons is lying. He probably has heard that Harper wants to play for the Cubs, but a lot of things have to fall into place for that to happen. We can always dream though.

Anthony Rizzo Celebrated His Engagement Like A Boss Yesterday

By
Gus
-
PHOTO: Jason Heyward, IG

On Thursday night, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo proposed to his girlfriend of a little over a year, Emily Vakos, overlooking the beautiful Chicago skyline on Lake Michigan. Add to that the fact Rizzo arranged a secret fireworks display for the pair to watch before he popped the question and you have yourself quite the proposal story to tell your future children.

While the Thursday night proposal was pretty bad ass in and of itself, Rizzo kept the momentum going into Friday and the celebration never seemed to stop. The Cubs welcomed the Cardinals to Wrigley Field for the first time in 2017 and while that usually is dreadful, this time was a bit different. This would also be the first time that former Cub (and World Series hero), Dexter Fowler, made his return to Wrigley Field.

Fowler and Rizzo had a great friendship during the two years Fowler spent in Chicago and it’s a friendship that appears to be as strong as ever. When Fowler got word that Rizzo proposed to Vakos Thursday night, he sent Rizzo a congratualotry text saying,

“Good thing you practiced giving a ring out.”

Fowler was referencing the brief pre-game ceremony before yesterday’s game in which he would receive his 2017 World Series ring. And who would be the one to give him that shiny explosion of diamonds?

You guessed it.

Anthony Rizzo.

Rizzo then went on to lead the Cubs to a HUGE 3-2 victory that helped snap a very long six-game losing streak. As for Rizzo, he reached base four times on a double and three walks, and ended up scoring the winning run on Jason Heyward’s eighth inning sacrifice fly.

The team helped Rizzo celebrate his engagement (and probably the win) after the game in the locker room. Jason Heyward posted this picture on his Instagram account which shows Rizzo taking a red and blue cake to the face and a very warm congratulatory caption.

Congrats to the Captain @arizz_44 and @vakosem on their engagement! Chi Love💙❤️

A post shared by Jason Heyward (@jheylove22) on

After getting cleaned up, the celebration didn’t stop. Rizzo treated his friends and family to the Jack Johnson concert at Northerly Island last night after the game. If you’re unaware who Jack Johnson is, think of a more mellow and less cheesy version of John Mayer.

I think it goes without saying but Anthony Rizzo’s engagement celebration was definitely one that will be remembered for a long, long time.

 

With Hawk’s Career Nearing The End, Here’s Some Of His Most Memorable Calls And Rants

By
Emmet McClain
-

Ken “Hawk” Harrelson will forever be remembered in White Sox history after he retires following the 2018 season. For the past two years, as Hawk has grown older, his work load has been on the steady decline. He now usually does road trips only, as Steve Stone and newcomer Jason Benetti have taken on the homestand workloads. White Sox fans have had mixed reactions when it comes to Hawk, but the bottom line is that he is a legend. With endless stories, numerous rants, and a great sense of humor, Hawk truly has been one of the best in the business.

In no particular order, lets look back at some of Hawk’s most memorable moments.

“What Are You Doing Wegner?!”

In one of Hawk’s most famous rants, he explodes on umpire Mark Wegner after he tossed Jose Quintana out of the game for throwing behind Rays batter Ben Zobrist. For context, a White Sox batter was pegged the inning before and no warning was issued to either side. Quintana left the game with a lead, but alas, he received the first of many notorious no decisions.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! History!

Not much needs to be said here. Mark Buehrle went 27 up, 27 down for his second career no-hitter and first career perfect game. The rest as they say, is history.

What A Play By Wise!

Same game, different epic call. When this ball was in the air, you can just hear the shock in Hawk’s voice. He instantly thought the Perfect Game was a thing of the past the second the ball was launched into orbit. Not on Dewayne Wise’s watch. He covered an unbelievable amount of ground, perfectly timed his jump, and made probably the best Perfect Game saving catch in MLB History.

Number 500!!!!

We have all heard a lot of Hawk Harrelson home run calls, but this could definitely be his No. 1. It came at home, was a walk-off shot and happened to be the 500th home run for slugger Jim Thome — Hawk seemed to feed off the energy of the crowd and the team as he made this particular call.

Joe West Needs A Rest

Ah yes, who could forget the power hungry Joe West. It seemed this guy had it out for everyone in baseball, but the White Sox in particular.

Here we have a little bit of everything: Ozzie getting tossed, Buehrle getting tossed, Konerko and A.J getting heated, and even the radio reactions of Ed Farmer and Darren Jackson.

Mark Buehrle had one of the better pickoff moves in all of baseball. It’s one of the many things that factored into his Gold Glove-caliber defense. Clearly no balk was made either time, and Hawk Harrelson (and others) went on another memorable rant.

Forever Remembered

We still have the rest of this season and at least 20 games next year to enjoy Hawk. Still, it’s really a shame that we will not be able to see him call games when all of the young up and comers will be on the South Side.

Most announcers these days are solely analytical, but Hawk’s passion and enthusiasm has never once been in question. White Sox fans should have no problem remembering Hawk’s antics and love for the game. Accepting the fact that he is leaving soon? That’s a different story.

From White Sox fans around the world, thank you, Hawk. It’s been one hell of a ride.

Jonathan Toews Has A Message For Donald Trump About Climate Change

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
-

In the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, Jonathan Toews had something to say. Through the use of Toews’ Instagram account he issued a long statement condemning the decision.

Do you believe in climate change? Whether you're super pumped that we are putting 'Americans first' or you are absolutely outraged at the idea that we are taking yet another step backwards in dealing with a major global problem, the only way to solve this argument is to try and set your own agenda aside and see how this affects everybody. The only lie we tell ourselves is that we are more special than other life forms on the planet. Well, we're not. Even if we weren't responsible for any major climate catastrophes heading our way, shouldn't we still do our part to preserve what we have left? The same way that we shouldn't wait till our bodies break down completely to start doing the right things to stay healthy, let's not wait till it's too late to do something. I am not saying I am perfectly 'green', but the first step is to keep an open mind and try to learn what you don't already know.

A post shared by Jonathan Toews (@jonathantoews) on

Mr. Trump’s decision was based on his “America First” doctrine that he assumed when he took office approximately four months ago. He said the 2015 deal posed wildly unfair environmental standards on American businesses and workers. Trump vowed to stand with the people of the United States against what he called a “draconian” deal.

The decision was a huge blow to the 195 nations who are part of the agreement and received disapproval from heads of state, corporate execs, climate activists and members of his own staff. Corporate business owners such as Elon Musk of Tesla, Jeffrey R. Immelt of GE and Lloyd G. Blankfein of Goldman Sachs all felt that this will still hurt American economy by ceding clean energy and technology to foreign competitors.

Jonathan Toews, though he isn’t an American, joined these powerful figures and put his thoughts out there for everyone to see. He showed concern for all human beings and the problems we face with climate change. It’s not just about “Americans First” but the whole world.

I personally believe this a great use of Jonathan Toews’ popularity to engage people in a matter that affects everyone. This isn’t about America vs everyone else, but people around the world coming together for our common good.

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

 

Bears Have Every Reason To Pursue New Free Agent Wide Receiver

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears jeremy maclin

Somebody needs to start a Chicago Bears Jeremy Maclin campaign. The Kansas City Chiefs just caused one of the bigger surprises of the offseason thus far by releasing the former Pro Bowl wide receiver. Most of it having to do with money of course. The cap-strapped Chiefs gain an addition $10 million in space with the move. At the same time their somewhat questionable depth at the position does bring it into question.

Now of course the questions will mount. Where does Maclin sign? No doubt he’ll be in high demand given his recent history of success. Granted 2016 was forgettable. He missed four games with a groin injury and managed just 536 yards and two touchdowns. However before that he had back-to-back years with over 1,000 yards. When his body is right, he can slice defenses up. A good route runner with reliable hands and after-the-catch ability.

A Chicago Bears Jeremy Maclin connection can’t hurt

The Bears have been highly active on the free agent market when it comes to receivers since they let Alshon Jeffery walk. Markus Wheaton and Kendall Wright were early additions in March. A week ago former Giants playmaker Victor Cruz was added. It’s clear GM Ryan Pace is opening things up to a competition. The best six players stick on the roster. There’s no reason to think Maclin couldn’t do well in that environment. Despite the injuries, he showed last year he could still take over games.

Remember that Maclin just turned 29-years old. He’s far from over the hill and all indications are the groin is healthy. Whether he’s a castoff or not doesn’t matter. The Bears are very short on proven commodities. Adding him would land them the second former Pro Bowler in the space of a week. Sure both come with health concerns, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Kevin White has played four games in two years. Cameron Meredith has lots of promise after a strong 2016 but isn’t a stud yet. In truth Jeffery was their only proven target. Not re-signing him, while not entirely their fault has made life tough for new starting quarterback Mike Glennon. Adding another veteran with a proven track record just makes good business sense. They aren’t hurting for cash either.

Last word was they sit at well over $26 million in open cap space. That should enable Pace to make a more than competitive offer. The fact that Chicago is a relatively short flight from Kansas City also works in their favor.

Cubs Snap Losing Streak With Comeback Win vs. Cardinals

By
Aldo Soto
-

It’s tough to say that a series starting on June 2, is a big deal for the defending World Series champions, but it definitely felt that way for the Chicago Cubs on Friday. Following a winless road trip that saw the Cubs lose six games in a row, they arrived home to begin a weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals and it was ugly early.

Dexter Fowler hit a leadoff home run and you immediately thought it was going to be a rough afternoon for John Lackey. It wasn’t. Lackey pitched seven innings and only allowed two runs. However, the Cubs offense was still struggling to do anything against Lance Lynn.

Then, some glimmer of hope. Oh hey there, Kris Bryant.

Do not take Kris Bryant for granted.

Anyway, the Cardinals defense ultimately paved the way for the 3-2 comeback win for the Cubs. In the sixth inning, Jason Heyward hit a towering fly ball to right field with runners on at first and second and only one out. The ball should have been caught, but Stephen Piscotty couldn’t get to it and Anthony Rizzo raced home to tie the game.

We head to the eighth inning. Carl Edwards Jr. walked three batters and with two outs and Yadier Molina due up, Joe Maddon made a pitching change. Admit it, when you saw Pedro Strop coming in you thought the game was over.

Let’s just say Strop hasn’t had the most success against the Cardinals, but that didn’t matter because on Friday, Pedro Strop didn’t want to hear any of that shit.

GET EM PEDRO!

Now, more bad Cardinals defense.

https://twitter.com/_MarcusD2_/status/870746326425796608

Again, a ball that should have been caught. The Cubs took advantage.

Ben Zobrist battled back in his at bat to actually make contact with Rizzo at second. The play ended up Rizzo going to third despite the ball being hit to the left side of the infield.

Gotta love it. Your No. 3 hitter with a great heads up base running play.

https://twitter.com/_MarcusD2_/status/870747037268049920

That brought up Heyward and he delivered with a sac-fly to center.

Wade Davis goes 1-2-3 in the ninth and this win feels more significant than it actually is. But damn, did it feel good.

https://twitter.com/_MarcusD2_/status/870749433838919680

Also, Jason Heyward is getting absolutely screwed this year because he continues to destroy baseballs but isn’t getting more home runs.

He’ll take the W, though.

A Weird Reason Jordan Howard Is a Sign of Imminent Playoff Success

By
Erik Lambert
-
chicago bears playoff success

It is now the heart of the dead period for NFL football between May and June where there are no activities or even training camp. Nothing to keep the ravenous masses occupied. Typically it’s the time when articles about the game tend to venture into the ridiculous. This one will be no different. So why not explain how Jordan Howard becoming a successful fifth round pick is a sign that Chicago Bears playoff success is right around the corner.

Maybe not this season but very soon. Why should people have any reason to think that? Simple. In a strange Ripley’s Believe or Not sort of way, Bears team success is usually signaled right beforehand by a successful drafting of a fifth round pick. Yes, that sounds oddly specific but it’s true. The origins of this weird phenomena can be traced back to 1940.

Chicago Bears playoff success signaled during 1940 draft

The draft was still in infancy that year, having begun a few years back in 1936. Up to that point the Bears had yet to field a truly successful fifth round pick. That changed during a groundbreaking 1940 draft when they added a talented young tackle from Temple named Ed Kolman. With his help the Bears won their first championship in seven years that same season, going on to win three more during the subsequent decade.

It doesn’t stop there though. The trend continued onward from there. The 1956 and 1963 NFL championship teams were aided by not one, not two but three Pro Bowler selected in the fifth round over the previous seasons.

Fred Williams (DT, 5th round, 1952)
Stan Jones (OG, 5th round, 1953)
Willie Galimore (HB, 5th round, 1956)

Weirded out yet? No? Okay. Then there’s the story of Allan Ellis. Back in the early 1970s the Bears were in the midst of their worst drought in franchise history. Between 1964 and 1972 they’d missed the playoffs every year. Then in 1973 they added an undersized corner named Allan Ellis out of UCLA. Four years later they made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. Ellis? That was the lone season he ever made the Pro Bowl.

From there it moved on to cornerback and kick return specialist Jerry Azumah, arriving in 1999 and helping the Bears to the playoffs two years later. Ending a drought of six years. Then it was Johnny Knox, a speedy receiver out of Abilene Christian. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie return man in 2009. A year later the Bears were in the NFC championship.

They say truth is stranger than fiction and this is a perfect example. Typically fifth round picks are viewed with a degree of boredom from fans. Largely due to their substantial miss rate as late round picks go. Remember the Bears have made 76 picks in that round throughout their history. Just 14 of them managed to reach the Pro Bowl and a few of those didn’t occur until they went to other teams. So when it happens in Chicago, it’s special.

If this is to be trust, it’s also a sign of things to come.

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