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Ryan Pace In Danger of Repeating Same Mistake Angelo and Emery Did

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears draft picks

The Chicago Bears draft picks situation is starting to get dicey. What does that mean? Let’s put it this way. Ryan Pace is beginning to flirt with a philosophy that likely led to Jerry Angelo and Phil Emery getting fired in a three-year span. Sure simply picking bad players can explain what went wrong for them, but there was a certain methodology that contributed to the problem.

They often found themselves with less-than-normal amount of picks. For those who aren’t already aware, the NFL shifted the draft to having seven rounds in 1993. Every team is allotted one pick per round with an additional 32 compensatory picks handed out based on quality of players lost to free agency without a return.

Suffice to say most teams end up with at least seven picks. However, an ability to trade can often lead to more or fewer than that. The Bears have found themselves on both sides of that equation over the past two decades but recently on the shorter end. If one were to pay close attention, it may be part of why they’ve had such problems.

Chicago Bears draft picks coffers have been sparse recently

Since 1993 the Bears have ended a draft having made fewer than seven picks a total of eight times. All told it was a total of 48 picks. In all of that they managed to land two Pro Bowl players. Not only that, they also managed to corral some of their biggest all-time draft busts.

1994 (6 picks) – 0 Pro Bowlers
  • Best pick:  Jim Flanigan
  • Worst pick:  Marcus Spears
2001 (6 picks) – 0 Pro Bowlers
  • Best pick:  Anthony Thomas
  • Worst pick:  David Terrell
2005 (6 picks) – 0 Pro Bowlers
  • Best pick:  Kyle Orton
  • Worst pick:  Cedric Benson
2010 (5 picks) – 0 Pro Bowlers
  • Best pick:  Corey Wootton
  • Worst pick:  Major Wright
2011 (5 picks) – 0 Pro Bowlers
  • Best pick:  Stephen Paea
  • Worst pick:  Gabe Carimi
2012 (6 picks) – 1 Pro Bowler
  • Best pick:  Alshon Jeffery
  • Worst pick:  Brandon Hardin
2013 (6 picks) – 1 Pro Bowler
  • Best pick:  Kyle Long
  • Worst pick:  Jonathan Bostic
2015 (6 picks) – 0 Pro Bowlers
  • Best pick:  Eddie Goldman
  • Worst pick:  Kevin White

Two Pro Bowlers in 48 picks and one of them isn’t even on the team anymore. Meanwhile they’ve had at least eight or more picks in a draft 13 times since the advent of the seven-round system. Those drafts produced players like Olin Kreutz, Brian Urlacher, Charles Tillman, Lance Briggs, Tommie Harris, Greg Olsen, Matt Forte and Jordan Howard.

Why bring all of this up? Pace is set to enter his third draft in four years with less than seven picks available to him. For a man who says he wants to build his team through the draft, he’s certainly not giving himself a lot of wiggle room. His 2015 class was already a bust for the most part. The 2017 class looks solid but it’s still early.

Pace is going into another offseason with more questions than answers. How can he hope to fill every roster void when he’s not finding ways to create some flexibility. By contrast Rick Spielman of the Vikings has run the show in Minnesota since 2012. In that span he’s never had fewer than eight picks in a draft. People shouldn’t be wondering why his roster is as good as it’s become.

Pace doesn’t believe in moving down early when he can get a good player by staying high. That’s admirable and also a little misguided. It might be time for him to change up his thought process.

Joe Maddon Closes The Door On Jake Arrieta

By
Sean Sears
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Jake Arrieta has been expected to leave the Cubs since extension talks stalled last offseason. And while Arrieta is considered one of the top free agent pitchers on the market this year, the Cubs and the former Cy Young winner look to be parting ways officially.

Cubs skipper Joe Maddon was a guest on 670 the Score’s Spiegel and Parkins show and talked about the likelihood of Arrieta returning to the North Side.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported earlier this week that the Cubs and Arrieta were talking but unable to agree on a contract length. Arrieta is looking for a deal in the neighborhood of six to seven years, where as the Cubs would like to keep the deal under four years.

And while there is still some hope the Cubs can work out a deal with Arrieta, who Heyman reports would be open to signing with the Cubs – as long as they give him the deal he is looking for.

But with Joe Maddon speaking so candidly about the negotiations, both sides coming together and agreeing on terms looks like a lost cause. Jake Arrieta has likely placed his last game as a Chicago Cub.

Blackhawks Early Season MVP Crawford Is Headed To IR

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 10: Corey Crawford #50 of the Chicago Blackhawks follows the action against the Colorado Avalanche at the United Center on January 10, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks defeated the Avalanche 6-3. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Corey Crawford is headed to the IR with an undisclosed injury he suffered on Thursday night against Dallas. While it doesn’t seem serious, there is no timeline for his return and will be out at least the required minimum of seven days.

Crow didn’t look like himself in the OT loss to the stars last night and got up slowly after a save in the third period. He has posted an 11-7-2 record and the 7th best GAA (2.29) in the NHL. In an otherwise mediocre start to the Blackhawks season, Crawford has been the most consistent member of the team and has even been mentioned in Vezina Trophy talk.

Anton Forsberg will gain some much needed experience and will be backed up by Jean-Francois Berube who was called up from Rockford. If the past few seasons have shown us anything about Coach Q, it’s that we probably won’t see Berube in net and he’ll ride Forsberg for the time being.

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

White Sox Sign Veteran Catcher Welington Castillo

By
Emmet McClain
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The White Sox made the first of what should be just a few minor moves this offseason by bringing in veteran catcher Welington Castillo. The move is rather interesting and could mean a few different things for the club.

The White Sox have had their fair share of catchers the past few years. Dioner Navarro, Alex Avila, Geovany Soto, and most recently Omar Narvaez and Kevan Smith have handled the catching duties for the White Sox. We could be seeing another platoon type setup with Castillo/Smith/Narvaez until catching prospect Zack Collins is ready to advance to the MLB level.

The Deal

I think this is a solid deal for both sides. Over the past few seasons, Castillo’s defense has dramatically trended in a positive direction.

Castillo pairs his consistently improving defense with a very solid bat. In 96 games last year with the Orioles he hit .282 with 20 home runs and 53 RBI’s.

Between The Lines

With Castillo coming from the Orioles, Rick Hahn could possibly be adding a familiar face for free-agent-to-be Manny Machado. It’s a long shot, but definitely possible.

Final Thoughts

If nothing more, this was a solid depth signing. Castillo can definitely hold his own in the batters box as well as behind the plate. With such a young pitching staff, the White Sox could benefit from his presence. If he exceeds his expectations, he could be yet another piece Rick Hahn flips in the future.

 

New Stat Shows Insane Difficulty of Chicago Bears 2017 Schedule

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears 2019 schedule

Blame has been showered in all directions for what amounts to another lost season in Chicago football. With five games left the absolute best the Bears can hope for is an 8-8 finish. Given the injuries they’re dealing with and pitiful state of their coaching staff, it feels like every game down the stretch will be a challenge. Yet even amidst the carnage, fans still haven’t quite grasped how challenging the Chicago Bears 2017 schedule ended up being.

Keep in mind this rebuilding team already suffered through what was one of the hardest runs in 2016. NFL experts assured fans all off-season that the 2017 slate would ease up. Truth be told that was a lie. In fact it was the complete opposite of the truth. The Bears actually ended up with one of the most difficult schedules seen in the NFL for over eight decades.

No that is not a joke. According to the stat gurus, this is something the NFL hasn’t seen is a Bears generation long past were playing the game.

Chicago Bears 2017 schedule showing shades of 1925

The 1925 Bears played 17 games that year. They managed to go 9-5-3 but were also shut out six times in the process. Seven of the 10 total opponents they face finished the year with winning records. This included two games against the eventual champion Chicago Cardinals. For the 2017 Bears, it hasn’t been much better.

They’ve played five of the six best teams in the NFC this season and a team (Pittsburgh) who is tied for the best record in the AFC. That’s not counting Detroit and Baltimore who are both 6-5 on the year. Asking the Bears to navigate that schedule with a rookie quarterback and poor coaching was almost predestined to fail.

Maybe with a fresh start in 2018 the football gods will give them a break for once.

Japanese Experience Gives Theo Epstein Edge In Signing Ohtani

By
Sean Sears
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Theo Epstein is no stranger to international players, specifically players in Japan. During his time in Chicago alone, he has brought in Kyuji Fujikawa, Tsyohsi Wada, Koji Uehara, and fan-favorite Munenori Kawasaki.

And and even going back to Epstein’s days in Boston, his track record with Japanese imports played a major role in breaking the Red Sox’ 86 year championship drought. Guys like Dave Roberts, Takashi Saito, Junichi Tazawa, Hideki Okajima, and even the highly coveted talent like Daisuke Matauzaka.

His well-documented history of cultivating Japanese talent is what the Cubs feel gives them the advantage in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes. And if you’re asking the Cubs, the feel Ohtani is coming to the North Side.

The Cubs want him to swing the bat

According to a source, the Cubs are confident they can sign the 23-year-old Japanese superstar, and are willing to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate Ohtani’s requests. Starting with allowing the young star to pitch and consistently play in the field.

There have been rumblings that Ohtani is requesting to play at least three times a week in the field, to go along with his regularly scheduled start on the mound. And as unusually as that is in the MLB, Ohtani has played the outfield in 62 games during his five season in the NPB.

And while it remains to be seen if the can make it work in the MLB, he’s only committed one error and has a .990 fielding percentage in the outfield. For reference, Kyle Schwarber has played 155 games in the outfield during his three years with the Cubs, registering a .970 field percentage with 6 errors.

On top of the Cubs pursuit of Ohtani, a scout also said the Cubs feel they can acquire free agent starter Yu Darvish as well. According to the source, he said the Cubs feel if they can convince of the Japanese stars, the other is likely to follow. Now, while the finally decision comes down to both Darvish and Ohtani, for the Cubs the risk of paying Darvish to also lock-down Ohtani is worth it.

Currently the market for Darvish has been quite, likely due to Ohtani’s ensuing posting and GM’s battling with agents for a lower asking price. But if the Cubs are serious about upgrading their rotation, adding both Darvish and Ohtani would give them one of the best rotations in baseball.

But Ohtani Doesn’t Want To Play With Another Japanese Superstar

Of course, Jon Morosi reported early Friday morning that Ohtani may prefer to play on a team without a Japanese superstar. Which completely ruins this whole Darvish and Ohtani coming to the Cubs right? Well, I’m not quite sold on that idea yet.

While I could see why Ohtani would like to play without someone like Ichiro or Darvish on his club, I’m not sure if that’s truly how he feels. While he is eager to prove himself, you would have to imagine having someone like Darvish on his team would make the cultural transition to America easier. On top of what Darvish brings culturally, he also has been through a similar situation that Ohtani is currently about to go through.

The most important part of the Cubs pitch to Ohtani is about how they are setup to win now and win for the future. That is what Ohtani cares the most about, and it’s hard to argue that the Cubs are not a better team if Yu Darvish is added to the rotation. If Ohtani wants to win, and the Cubs can acquire both he and Darvish, I would find it hard to believe Ohtani would turn down the Cubs offer.

As Jared Diamond from the Wall Street Journal explains, while it might be something he would prefer, it’s not likely to sway him too much from teams like the Yankees – or the Cubs for that matter.

Ohtani will reportedly be posted at some point Friday, December 1st, and from then on is when all these reports will begin to solidify. Expect an exciting, fast-paced month of December Cubs fans. And never count out Theo Epstein and the Cubs, no matter the circumstance.

Former Bear Hints at Likely Cause of Josh Bellamy Tre McBride Fight

By
Erik Lambert
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josh bellamy tre mcbride
CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 03: Harold Jones-Quartey #29 of the Chicago Bears runs out with teammates to the field for warm-ups prior to the game against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field on January 3, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Kena Krutsinger/Getty Images)

By now most Chicago Bears fans know about the Josh Bellamy Tre McBride blowup at Halas Hall last Monday. It started in the wide receivers room before spilling into the hallway in ear shot of the media. Bellamy later explained it was purely a football matter between brothers and he had no regrets over what happened despite the results being that McBride was later cut from the team.

Most assumed that would be the end of it. However, a former Bears player decided to pour gasoline on the smoldering flames. Harold Jones-Quartey played safety for the team from 2015 through 2016, starting a number of games. After the Bears made several additions to the position this off-season though, he was eventually cut.

This didn’t stop him from weighing in on what happened between Bellamy and McBride though. He seems to think it has nothing to do with football at all. In fact it’s a far more personal matter.

Josh Bellamy Tre McBride incident about who got cut, not who was wrong

In essence Jones-Quartey is saying Bellamy was making advances on McBride’s girlfriend. McBride apparently confronted him about it in the receivers room and things escalated from there. Despite being the wronged party in this story, McBride was the one cut because he instigated the confrontation. Everybody knows the Bears have had a zero tolerance policy for these sorts of things under head coach John Fox and Ryan Pace.

Of course there is no conclusive proof to this matter. Not unless Jones-Quartey can produce some sort of evidence to back up his story. At the same time this would explain a lot about why McBride blew up like he did. Perhaps Bellamy got on him about the poor game he had in Philadelphia and wasn’t about to take criticism from a guy trying to put moves on his girlfriend.

Men have blown up over less.

Josh Bellamy Didn’t Hold Back on Questions of Tre McBride Fight

By
Erik Lambert
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tre mcbride

Word came out recently on the infamous Halas Hall spat that took place outside the media room on the Monday following the Bears’ humiliation in Philadelphia. No doubt fuses were short for many, especially the wide receivers. The tape probably made them look worse than anybody. Everything that could’ve gone wrong did go wrong from dropped passes to penalties and poorly-run routes. Josh Bellamy wasn’t part of it though, nursing an injury.

Nonetheless he was in the receiving room watching the film with everybody else. It was at this point where something happened. A comment of some kind by somebody created a heated argument that then spilled into the hallway. It centered around Bellamy and fellow receiver Tre McBride. Obscenities were exchanged.

Not long after it happened, McBride was waived by the team. This could be take as a likelihood he was the one who started or at least escalated the fight. Inevitably once it was discovered Bellamy was the other man involved, he was going to be questioned.

Josh Bellamy unrepentant on McBride incident

In terms of the reasons behind the fight and what started it, Bellamy didn’t offer many details. He merely said it’s the sort of thing that can happen when a family is frustrated and angry. Family fights.

At the same time the veteran showed zero sympathy for his former teammate. It’s clear that whatever happened certainly created some friction between the two.

For a brief instant it looked like McBride might end up being a find for the Bears. He had a breakout game against the New Orleans Saints with 92 yards. Expectations were he’d continue to grow moving forward. Instead he all but disappeared after the bye week. In truth the handling of personnel by this offensive coaching staff has been baffling for at least the past month.

Regardless it’s yet another wacky situation that will be thankfully forgotten by next year when the entire position group is overturned.

Robbie Gould Had Tearful Meeting With Virginia McCaskey Before He Left

By
Erik Lambert
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robbie gould
CHICAGO - JANUARY 14: Robbie Gould #9 of the Chicago Bears successfully kicks a 41-yard field goal from the hold of Brad Maynard to tie the game 24-24 in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks during their NFC Divisional Playoff Game January 14, 2007 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Robbie Gould is the all-time scoring leader in Chicago Bears history. He’s been behind some of the most clutch moments in team history. He was the last man standing from the team that went to the Super Bowl in 2006. That’s why it was difficult for many fans to see him go last year after so many excellent seasons of service. Unfortunately that’s how the business works sometimes. It sucks but it is what it is.

People like to say there was no reason for the Bears to cut Gould. In fact there were plenty of reasons. Robbie had missed four games in 2014 with injury. Then in 2015 he missed six field goals and extra point, a number of them costing the team chances to win. Finally after a difficult 2016 preseason, the team just couldn’t take it anymore.

The 34-year old was granted his release after 11 years. It was an emotional moment for a man who’d been a team leader for so long. In fact he had a tearful meeting with Bears matriarch Virginia McCaskey prior to his leaving.

Robbie Gould apologized for Bears’ Super Bowl failure

Talking to the Bears media in advance of his new team, the 49ers’ visit to Chicago he stated he had only one regret in his career. That was failing to win a Super Bowl for the city. He expressed as much during his final meeting with McCaskey.

“I wish those guys nothing but the best – (coach) John Fox, (general manager) Ryan Pace, (special teams coordinator) Jeff Rodgers,” he said. “I wish for my teammates that they would win more football games. I wish the organization would win a Super Bowl. Those were goals I had when I was there, and I don’t wish any bad or ill will on anyone there.

“I have no animosity. If you look back on the 11 years I spent there, the only thing I didn’t accomplish as a Chicago Bear was winning a Super Bowl — and I told Mrs. (Virginia) McCaskey I was sorry for that, and I deeply mean that.”

It’s such a shame because Gould was in no way responsible for the Bears coming up short that year. He was perfect throughout the 2006 playoffs, going 6-of-6 on field goals including a brilliant 49-yard bomb in overtime to win the divisional round game against Seattle. In fact Gould was absolute money in the postseason. For his career he’s 8-for-8 on field goals and 20-for-20 on extra points.

He’s missed to this day. One can only hope he goes out on his terms, whether that be this year or in the near future. Few deserve such an honor more.

Former Bears GM Advises Where Ryan Pace Should Focus Coaching Search

By
Erik Lambert
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bears gm
Credit: Chicago Tribune

People to this day love to slam former Chicago Bears GM Jerry Angelo. It’s understandable to a degree. His final run of drafts in 2010 and 2011 were a disaster and remain a key reason why the team has plummeted to the bottom of the NFC over the past few seasons. At the same time the man was responsible for the second-biggest run of success the franchise has had in the Super Bowl era. So maybe he deserves a little credit.

Angelo was responsible for drafting future stars like Charles Tillman, Lance Briggs and Matt Forte. However he’d be the first to say his most important move was hiring Lovie Smith to be head coach in 2004. In the three seasons prior to that decision, Angelo was 24-24 as GM. After hiring Smith he went 71-57 including a trip to the Super Bowl and three division titles.

He knows exactly the kind of pressure Ryan Pace is under this upcoming offseason. Everybody believes a change at head coach is all but certain. It’s a decision Pace can’t afford to get wrong. Dan Pompei of The Athletic asked Angelo on how he might attack such a colossal task. The answers were revealing.

Former Chicago Bears GM says it’s best to be where others aren’t

Angelo offered an intriguing hint regarding where the Bears would be wise to focus in 2018. Of course it didn’t involve another trip to the CFL like with Marc Trestman, but still down an avenue that the franchise has actually never gone before. At least not in the modern era.

“Pompei: Are there any assistant coaches, former head coaches or college head coaches that you think would make a good NFL head coach?

Angelo: Absolutely, there are always going to be deserving candidates from each group you mentioned. I would look hard at the colleges now.  Long-time NFL coordinators usually attract the most interest and have the best ratio for long term success. Their experience, as coordinators, seems to be the best predictor.”

Reading into that it feels like Angelo is saying this:  everybody will be focused on the coordinators next year. Why not use that as a chance to get a head start on what could be a rich pool of college coaches. Keep in mind that the Bears have only hired a college coach to head their franchise once. That was in 1930 when they brought up Lake Forest head coach Ralph Jones for the job.

George Halas knew him well, having played under him when he was an assistant at Illinois. Jones went 24-10-7 with an NFL championship in 1932 before Halas took over again.

College coaching route has been a mixed bag

The truth is taking college head coaches straight to the NFL has brought both good and bad results in the past. Chip Kelly had some early success in Philadelphia but became a disaster over his final three years. Steve Spurrier, Bobby Petrino and even the immortal Nick Saban dominated college only to find disappointment in the pros.

At the same time there is a hefty list of college coaches who were outstanding upon the jump up the ladder. Tom Coughlin, Pete Carroll, Dick Vermeil, Jimmy Johnson, and Bill Walsh all ended up winning Super Bowls after productive college runs. It’s all about whether they find the right situations for their styles to work.

That is something Angelo harped on.

“I want to know their strengths, the type of leaders they are, players they developed, their work ethic and the assistant coaches they want to hire at the key coaching assistant positions. These are some of the things I’d look for initially. Then I want to know this: “Are they going to be a good working partner?” No one can do it alone. The job is too big for any one person. So being a good working partner is as important as anything.

It’s not about hiring the coach with the best resume. Plenty of those types failed. It’s about hiring the best coach, who is going to be the best partner. It’s a professional marriage. If it fails, so does the organization.”

It’s true. Carroll was a failure with both the Patriots and Jets in the 1990s. It was only after his run at USC and finding a good fit in Seattle that his NFL career blossomed. The same must happen for Pace. He must not only find an accomplished coach, but one who shares many of the same philosophies.

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