Mitch Trubisky the quarterback is still a work in progress. Anybody surprised by this deserves to lose their money. A quarterback with 13 college starts running an offense with second and third-rate receivers was going to struggle. Truth be told the kid has played better that most would under those circumstances. This hasn’t stopped him from progressing as a leader and teammate though.
In fact some other Bears in the locker room are learning that what he might lack in experience, he doesn’t lack in quick wit. The 23-year old knows he’s the new kid on the block but if he’s going to earn the respect of his older brothers in the locker room, he has to be prepared to give as good as he gets. Particularly in the trash talking department.
Mitch Trubisky the trash talker isn’t afraid of anybody
Bears defenders have called Trubisky the “Pretty Boy Assassin” for weeks now. This was due in large part to his tendency to attack the defense in practice, often with a seemingly disarming smile on his face. At the same time there are certain defenders who aren’t afraid to jaw at the rookie. Cornerback Prince Amukamara is one of them. He described what it’s like to go back and forth with the young quarterback.
“I just basically poke at them to see if they’ll bite back,” Amukamara said. “I’ll definitely crack some jokes on Mitch, and he definitely shouts a few jokes back.”
Amukamara said Trubisky calls him “Princess.”
“That’s a weak joke,” Amukamara said with a smile, “but he calls me that.”
It may seem weak but nobody likes to be called “Princess.” Not unless you’re under the age of 13. Regardless this is a welcome sign. It means Trubisky isn’t putting himself above what the game is all about. It’s competition. Trash talk is a normal part of competition. Do people think Michael Jordan was great and never said anything?
Please. Jordan was arguably the greatest trash talker of his era. Maybe even all-time. Jim McMahon was also a good one. Good things tend to happen for a team when their leader is not somebody who gets rattled when a teammate or opponent jaws at them. Instead they send it right back. It shows that they are mentally tough. They are confident in their ability and aren’t afraid to say so.
The fact that Trubisky is this far along at 23-years old? A welcome sign.
Members of the Chicago White Sox celebrate on the field after winning the 2005 World Series with a 1-0 win over the Houston Astro's at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas on October 26, 2006. The White Sox swept the series 4 games to none. (Photo by G. N. Lowrance/Getty Images)
Did I just imagine the entire 2005 baseball season? That’s what ESPN continues to make me believe. Whenever past championships are brought up on the station, no one ever seems to throw the 2005 White Sox into discussion. And not like they aren’t worthy of discussion. More like the team didn’t even exist at all. Today we got another reminder of the lack of respect the South Side seems to get.
ESPN deleted its annual forgetting of the 2005 White Sox but not before I photocopied it! pic.twitter.com/DV9Q5gSHtD
Looks like ESPN once again forgot not only that the White Sox won the World Series in 2005, but also forgot that they did it to the tune of an 11-1 record. The 2005 White Sox were (in my very biased opinion) one of the more dominant teams in recent memory. The fact that they get no love from national media is definitely frustrating to say the least. Hopefully the White Sox will start to get the respect they deserve if/when the rebuild succeeds and championships are eventually seen on the South Side.
Generally an NFL team arrives at the trade deadline as one of two types. They are either a buyer or a seller. It’s truth of all sports. Either a team is losing and unlikely to make a rally. So they ship out a valuable player that might get them some draft revenue for next year. Or it’s a team that feels they’re in the hunt for the playoffs. One more player at a key position could be the ticket. It’s hard to say where the Chicago Bears trades situation is at.
They started out 2017 with a 1-3 record. Most left them for dead. Now they’ve won two-straight against Baltimore and Carolina. Both teams had winning records at the time. Suddenly the Bears are going into New Orleans with a chance to be .500 at the midseason point for the first time since 2013.
This leads to the question. If they manage to beat the Saints, will GM Ryan Pace feel aggressive enough to give his team an added boost in hopes of making a playoff push? It’s hard to say but the man is unpredictable. He’s not a afraid to be bold. So with that in mind here are some names to watch carefully as Halloween approaches.
Chicago Bears trades are all about the wide receivers
Let’s be real. The only position that is so bad it needs a midseason trade to help it is the wide receivers. Currently Mitch Trubisky is throwing a discarded former first round pick in Kendall Wright who hasn’t topped 500 yards since 2014. The other two, Tanner Gentry and Tre McBride, have four combined starts of experience. In retrospect how can anybody think Trubisky should be a focal point of the offense.
Sure he has good tight ends and the coaches can do a better job scheming guys open, but that doesn’t make up for a general lack of talent.
Terrelle Pryor
Monday night showed again that the Washington Redskins just don’t have a meaningful role for Terrelle Pryor in their offense. That’s surprising given he’s 6’4″ and had over 1,000 yards last season. For the Cleveland *bleeping* Browns no less. He’s on a one-year deal and continues to get phased out of the offense. If the Redskins aren’t interested, then this could be a dirt cheap purchase for Pace with huge upside.
T.Y. Hilton
The Indianapolis Colts are approaching a potential death spiral that could lead to them throwing the rest of 2017. Andrew Luck remains sidelined and GM Chris Ballard knows he has a ton of work left to do in rebuilding a depleted roster. This may demand a difficult sacrifice. T.Y. Hilton certainly merits a mention. He wasn’t drafted by Ballard and carries a hefty contract. He’s already over 500 yards this year and turns 28 in November. The vertical ability he’d bring is hard to ignore.
Martavis Bryant
Certainly the name that has garnered the most attention. Martavis Bryant is unhappy in Pittsburgh where the Steelers seem to have marginalized his role. This after going over 700 yards in just 11 games in 2015. The speedy 6’4″ receiver wants more opportunities and the team isn’t giving it to him, so he’s asking for a trade. Thus far the Steelers have denied do that. Bryant is a big play threat but he’s also inconsistent, on and off the field. Definitely a high-risk, high-reward proposition.
Demaryius Thomas
This one might catch a lot of people by surprise, but it shouldn’t. Plenty of sources out of Denver feel the Broncos might be in selling mode given the direction the team has gone of late. Bottoming out against the Chargers has led to belief it might be time for a changing of the guard. That includes moving on from star receiver Demaryius Thomas. He has a prior history with John Fox and is still fairly productive at age 30. He’d at least give the Bears more credibility.
In addition to LaVine’s testing points for jumping, speed and strength reportedly being near or better than when he tested at the NBA predraft camp in 2014; (according to K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune) another reason for optimism regarding LaVine’s rehab has been the small forward’s upbeat attitude and heavy involvement in team activities–
LaVine, who missed five games as a rookie and none his second season, is fully engaged in practice. He participates in five-on-zero situations, watches during contact drills and scrimmages and even traveled to the season opener in Toronto for workouts, a rarity.
All good things.
Here’s to hoping he, along with Kris Dunn, can see the floor together here in Chicago sometime soon to inject some life into a currently morose Chicago fanbase.
With the 2017 World Series underway, in an era where TV dictates every major move sports make, Major League Baseball still seems to have it backwards. All summer long, baseball accompanies you on a warm sunny day at the ballpark, or by your side at night with a cold one after a long day at the office. But when the games really count in October, Baseball is missing its key audience — kids.
Baseball on television has become a very regionalized sport, where fans in Seattle may not know about Cubs’ first baseman Anthony Rizzo, or arguably the best player in the game, Mike Trout, playing for the L.A Angels, a team not on the radar of a Marlins fan in Miami. While this trend does great locally for the sport, this trend does nothing to grow the game throughout the country. So on baseball’s biggest stage, the playoffs, wouldn’t they want to showcase their most exciting players to the future generation of baseball fans?
The recent trend in playoff start-times would tell you MLB really doesn’t care as long as they continue to get the TV money in 2017 and beyond.
Changes in the game have caused the sport to become longer. Gone are the 2-hour Mark Buehrle 3-hitters, and in are the 5-inning starts by a $100 million dollar pitcher followed by a clown-car of bullpen arms, one if not two per inning. With the game trending longer, Major League Baseball needs to start playoff games at a time when the majority of the population, especially kids, can watch at least a majority of the game. But their vision of ‘Prime Time’ is skewed and hurts the viewing market.
A few years ago, Jeffrey Dorfman of Forbes, wrote an article describing how Major League Baseball is ruining the future of the game with late start times. I couldn’t agree with him more. While baseball may say they are remedying this by playing day-playoff games, that doesn’t work either.
Taking a look back at the Cubs vs. Dodgers NLCS schedule, trying to find some semblance of intense thought into the scheduling is hard to come by. The times were as follows:
Cubs at Dodgers 7:00pmCT/8:00pmET (Saturday) Cubs at Dodgers 6:30pmCT/7:30pmET (Sunday) Dodgers at Cubs 8:00pmCT/9:00pmET (Tuesday) Dodgers at Cubs 8:00pmCT/9:00pmET (Wednesday) Dodgers at Cubs 7:00pmCT/8:00pmET (Thursday)
Every game in the series lasted over three hours. And if we have any indications of what’s to come in the Fall Classic, just look back at Game 5 of the NLDS between the Cubs and Nationals, a 9-inning game that lasted 4 hours and 37 minutes. Yes, you read that right, 4 hours and 37 minutes.
If the game goes that long Tuesday night, a die-hard Dodger fan in New York would have to stay up until at least 12:30 a.m. to see the final out. Imagine that being the case for potentially the next three nights, and having school bright and early at 8 a.m. What kid can stay up for that, let alone their parents? The Cubs’ letterhead telling the teacher to ‘excuse’ their son or daughter due to the late game cannot be baseball’s answer.
Major League Baseball, however, thinks they have come up with new solution by starting playoff games during the day. Well, Commissioner Manfred, that doesn’t work either. NLDS games starting at 12 p.m.CT / 1 p.m. ET miss that audience because if you remember correctly, that would be lunch period in school. The Tuesday, October 17th matchup featuring both the NLCS and ALCS missed a major portion of the country’s kids who would love to watch Aaron Judge launch a home run over the wall, or Javy Baez making an electric play in the field. The Yankees vs. Astros game began at 4:00 p.m. CT / 5:00 p.m. ET and the Cubs vs. Dodgers game began at 8:00 p.m. CT / 9:00 p.m. ET. For the ALCS game, you are lucky if you get home in time from school for the game, and if you want to catch the nightcap, it began by the time your mom was yelling at you to go to bed. Major League baseball is losing out on growing its sport, as kids are not being allowed to see its greatest moments. And kids, Major League Baseball, not your parents, is to blame.
MLB: "We need more young fans interested in baseball?" Also MLB: "Let's start two LA-CHI games with many popular stars at 9pm ET!"
Just take a look at last years’ World Series. The year ended with the incredible culmination of 108 years for the Chicago Cubs, and the 10-inning Game 7 thriller lasted 4 hours and 28 minutes (including the rain-delay). An 11:30 p.m. CT / 12:30 p.m. ET end time on a school night? That’s just wrong.
There is a reason why baseball has an average age viewer of 53 years old. The games start too late and drag on into the wee hours of the night, cutting out a new generation who has already grasped onto the fast-paced 2-hour NBA.
The day games are too early and have low ratings, the night games are too late and prohibit kids from watching, so what can the MLB do?
First they can look at a time zone map. 47% of the country is on East Coast Time, followed by 32.9% of the country following Central Standard Time. Pacific Time is next at 14.1%; Mountain Time covers 5.4%, and Alaska/Hawaii accounts for .6%. While you were taught never to choose favorites, the East Coast and Central dominate the map. Why should they be penalized to please 14% of the market? If a majority 79% of the country has to stay up until almost midnight to watch the end of a playoff baseball game there is something terribly wrong with your growth plan for baseball.
Taking this into account, Major League Baseball should take a page out of the NBA’s playbook and play every other day. I know this idea goes against baseball purists, and I know the game needs to be played every night during the regular season for consistency purposes, but why not play every other day in the playoffs, giving players more rest for the duration of the postseason? There would not be as many pitching changes if pitchers simply had a day off in between games, which would allow starters to pitch longer, or bullpen arms to be more effective, which in turn would speed up the game. The ‘every other day’ mentality would allow there to not be the game-stacking issue we currently are seeing, where if ALDS Game 1 starts at 3:00 p.m., then NLDS Game 1 has to start at 6:00 p.m., then ALDS Game 2 has to start at 9:00 p.m. all in one night. The length of games is endless, they would probably have poor ratings because of odd start times, and out of market viewers for Game 3 wouldn’t even try to find it on TV. The fact that there are two LCS games on the same day this season, one starting during the school day and the other starting a little after 9 p.m., there should be no argument that this is the right way to schedule games.
The MLB postseason is the quickest of all the sports, spanning around a month. While cutting down the season is a whole different column, creating a NBA-like schedule, would allow fans to see each and every game at a normal time. However, I know this model would be difficult to execute due to the way baseball is played and for fear of angering baseball’s unwritten rules.
The other option would be to stop staggering games for fear of dividing viewership. If the MLB is so worried about dividing viewership by having two games on at the same time, they have a worse chance of even garnering an audience with a game starting at 1pm or 9pm.
One of the most exciting nights in Baseball history in the last 10 years, was Wildcard Wednesday in 2011, as the Red Sox squandered away a win in Baltimore followed by a game-winning homerun in Tampa Bay by Evan Longoria against the Yankees a few minutes later to clinch the AL. Wildcard spot from Boston. The same happened for the Cardinals as a win against the Astros set them up for clinching a playoff spot if disaster struck in Atlanta, and boy did it. The Braves blew an 8+ game lead and lost in the 13th inning to the Phillies, giving the Cardinals the N.L Wildcard.
What is the point of this story? The games all happened at the same time, allowing fans to flip from channel to channel, minute-by-minute watching the drama unfold with every pitch. Baseball needs to forget about having each game scheduled with its exclusive time and schedule them within a similar window. With the games being across two Fox networks, TBS and MLB Network, they can do it. Treat it like March Madness. Have the craziness and excitement of baseball all happen at the same time at 6 p.m. for the 79% percent of the country (sorry L.A). Or even start a game at 5:30 p.m., with the second game starting at 6 or 6:30 p.m., giving each a little breathing room like the unforgettable night in 2011.
Baseball can and needs to make these changes to open the game back up to the fans that will take the game to the next great level. Young fans are hungry for exciting sports and if they are given the chance, they can keep baseball as one of top sports in the country. If MLB does not make these changes, sadly, that average age of baseball fans will simply continue to increase, and that generation who grew up studying or sleeping through baseball games will have no idea how great the game is, as they simply never saw it.
I don’t know who Elias Samson is, but I know a great personality when I see one and really that’s all you need to be a star in the WWE. There’s nothing more entertaining than the wrestling heel, who knows exactly how to work a crowd and get a vial response and that’s exactly what Samson succeeded in doing during Monday Night Raw in Green Bay.
The Packers season is basically over because unless Brett Hundley can average more than four yards a throw there’s no way that team is going to be in contention even if Aaron Rodgers can return in December. As we know, Rodgers suffered his second collarbone injury of his career, the first coming at the hands of Chicago Bears legend Shea McClellin, and Samson gave a direct shot to Rodgers and the Packers fans filling the arena for Monday Night Raw.
Elias just became Vikings fans new favorite wrestler – ripping on Packers fans w/ Aaron Rodgers collarbone joke in Green Bay#SKOLpic.twitter.com/QvgAWtE0V9
The Cubs keep seeming to finding promising infield prospects with an ability to play all over the diamond. From the obviously skillful Javier Baez, the versatile Ian Happ, an even the flexible Tommy La Stella, the Cubs one of the more resourceful infield groups in all of baseball.
Any infield that features Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo would already be considered dangerous enough, but add Baez and Addison Russell starting everyday, its going to be tough for anyone else to see consistent playing time in the Cubs infield for 2018.
However, Baseball America has shined their spotlight on a lesser known player in David Bote – who is coming off a special 2017 season in AA Tennessee.
The 24-year-old Bote was taken by the Cubs in the 18th round of the 2012 MLB draft and is currently listed as a 1st and 2nd baseman – according to Fangraphs, but has played everywhere but catcher during his six year minor league career. Up until this year, Bote’s versatility was one of his lone qualities that was making him stand out in the Cubs system.
However, that has changed quickly after Bote surprised everyone in the Cubs system with his power, smacking 14 homers in AA (after never hitting more than one home run in any league higher than A+).
His season was shadowed heavily by former Cubs top prospect Eloy Jimenez before he was traded to the White Sox in the Jose Quintana trade. But Bote slashed an impressive .272/.353/.438 with a 130 wRC+ in 127 games for Smokies, while play four different positions.
Ignore the weird slo-mo section of this video and watch Bote’s pretty stroke.
Bote’s natural position is 2nd base, where he played 107 games at in 2017, but he did play close to 20 games in the outfield this season as well. While likely a long shot to make the Cubs major league roster in next season, Bote could provide more serviceable depth over a Mike Freeman.
He also provides another solid piece to flip in a potential deal in the future, but it’s unlikely Bote finds his way onto a healthy Cubs roster in 2018.
Bote had this to say to Baseball America when asked about his performance this season.
“You’re always being evaluated,” Bote said. “Every single time you’re on the field you’re being evaluated … if it’s Rule 5 draft or not Rule 5 draft or free agent year. I don’t necessarily put any extra emphasis on it because every day I’m getting evaluated. There’s always a scout in the stands, whether you’re playing in rookie ball or you’re playing in Triple-A or even in the big leagues, you’re always being scouted … The only thing I control is to go out there, work hard and perform the way I perform. Whatever happens is going to happen.”
Regardless, David Bote is another fun player that has turned himself into another asset the Cubs can utilize in a few ways, as versatility continues to pay off big time for the Cubs.
Chicago Bears fans had to be salivating as they watched Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night. The second-year quarterback and former #2 overall pick was outstanding and the team is firing on all cylinders. They might be the best in the NFL right now, which is amazing to think about given where they were a year ago. Of course this will lead to the speculation. How far away are the Bears from being the exact same team and can Mitch Trubisky be their Wentz?
The similarities are indeed striking. In 2016 the Eagles had the semblance of a good roster including a solid offensive line and intriguing defense. However they also were thin at wide receiver and in the secondary.
Sound familiar? The Bears are beyond depleted at receiver. They have a rookie quarterback who is a former #2 overall pick. At the same time they have an emerging defense and solid offensive line. How far away is this team from becoming the Eagles of 2018?
Chicago Bears 2018 hopes hinge on two factors
Of course much of that will depend on Trubisky and his progression as a quarterback. People are quickly going to argue he’s nowhere near where Wentz was in 2016. Is that fair though? Wentz threw 607 passes last year in 16 games. In three games so far this year Trubisky has thrown it 48 times. If that average holds he’ll throw it 192 times this season. That is a clear indication he’s not being asked to do as much as Wentz was.
There are a few reasons for this. One could argue the Bears receiver situation is even worse than Philadelphia last year. The Eagles had Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor. Matthews finished three yards shy of 1,000 in 2015. Agholor is a former first round pick. They also had second round pick Dorial Green-Beckham. So there was talent there.
Trubisky has Kendall Wright, Tanner Gentry, Tre McBride and Josh Bellamy. Wright is a former first rounder who was cut by his original team. McBride was a seventh rounder cut by the same team. Gentry is an undrafted free agent and Bellamy used to be one. Not only is it a group lacking talent, but also experience.
Then there’s the fact that the Bears have a better running game than Philadelphia did. Their best back was Ryan Mathews. Chicago has Jordan Howard. It’s little wonder the Bears are content to feed the ground game. They’re sticking to what they do best. It may not be ideal for the QB, but it’s what’s best for the team. That said there is one huge divide separating them and the Eagles right now.
Doug Pederson is a vital key to Wentz that John Fox can’t be to Mitch
It’s critical to never underestimate the value of a having a sharp offensive mind as the head coach. People wonder why Wentz and Dak Prescott excelled so quickly since last year. Sure it’s their own gifts but also having two former NFL quarterbacks as their head coaches hasn’t hurt. Doug Pederson is a protege of Andy Reid, one of the best coaches of the past two decades. If anybody has learned what it takes to develop a QB properly, it’s Pederson.
Then there’s John Fox. His success at team building speaks for itself. The man has now constructed three excellent defenses in Carolina, Denver and Chicago. He’s built strong running games and understands how to foster a thriving team culture. The one area that people might call him weak is developing quarterbacks.
All of his success including the two Super Bowl appearances were brought about by QBs who’d been developed elsewhere. Jake Delhomme sharpened his teeth in New Orleans and NFL Europe before arriving in Carolina. Peyton Manning was already a future Hall of Famer by the time he got to Denver. Trubisky represents the first ever first round pick drafted under his watch that he’s had to develop in 15 years.
The results so far are not encouraging. Fox’s conservative style is making Mitch hesitant to throw. He’s completing barely half his passes and failing to find a rhythm. It’s worth noting that Fox has had a top 10 passing offense four times in his career. Three of those times were with Manning in Denver. Is this really the man Chicago wants overseeing their most talented young QB to come around in years?
A man that will be 63 in February, don’t forget. That is going to be the decision that GM Ryan Pace has to make.
The Cubs 2017 season is over, and while the Astros and Dodgers are about to kick-off their final push for a World Series, Theo Epstein and the Cubs front office is already dreaming of bringing the trophy back to Chicago in 2018.
Their offseason needs are highlighted by pitching, as both Jake Arrieta and John Lackey enter free agency this year, meaning the Cubs have two rotation spots to fill. The 31-year-old Arrieta, while stating just a few days ago that he plans on ‘playing another game in Chicago’, is likely going to come at price too high for the Cubs to justify.
So, you would think the Cubs main focus would be on acquiring pitching this offseason, but a source tells Sports Mockery that is not necessarily the case.
Andrew Benintendi…To The Cubs?!
According to a source, the Cubs are being told that Epstein is targeting position players from Boston and Miami, with budding outfielder Andrew Benintendi sitting atop the team’s wishlist. Yes, you read that right and no I am not taking crazy pills.
Now, there will be people who read this article or the headline of this article and assume I am just throwing things at wall, but this is not the first time the Cubs have coveted a player that didn’t seem to be on their radar at all. He currently plays right field for the Cubs.
Jason Heyward was on Theo Epstein’s roster board when he and the front office were envisioning what their team needed to win their first title. And now, the front office brain trust of Epstein, Jed Hoyer, and Jason McLeod are trying to pair the young Benintendi with Heyward in their outfield.
With the numbers Benintendi put up in his first full season in Boston, .271/.352/.424 with 20 home runs with 84 runs scored, sliding him in front of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Willson Contreras should make almost any Cubs fans eyes light up. Especially when he clubs 20+ homers and also makes incredible defensive plays like these.
Would the Red Sox Even Trade Him?
Now, the Red Sox have done nothing anything to show the former No. 1 overall prospect in baseball is currently available. In fact, they would likely rather move another outfielder in Jackie Bradley Jr. over Benintendi, but the Cubs are making it clear that they are willing to part with some MLB-talent to make a deal like this happen.
Sounds like #Cubs are also more willing to lose some depth to improve the lineup, only guys safe are Rizzo, Bryant, & Contreras, per source
A source explained that while the scouts are not saying who the Cubs would be willing to part with, they did drop a subtle hint that Kyle Schwarber may not be the untouchable piece he was regarded as a year ago.
Players like Addison Russell, Javier Baez, Albert Almora Jr, and even rookie Ian Happ may be considered in deals this offseason as well. This does not mean the Cubs are trying to trade any of those players, just that the Cubs would be more willing to move one of those pieces if it nets them a Andrew Benintendi caliber player.
Another name mentioned was Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich, who the Cubs have checked in a few times this past season while Miami owners attempted to sell the team. The Cubs would also have an interest in Giancarlo Stanton, but with his massive contract and with players like Jason Heyward owed close to 150 mil over the next six years, that seems impossible.
Regardless, the Cubs have internally been upset with the performance of their outfield in 2017. The team feels they need to add a top of the lineup-type player, who can also fill their need in center field. And if the asking price starts with a Kyle Schwarber or Javier Baez, don’t expect the Cubs to think twice about pulling the trigger.
The Eddie Jackson interception return for a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers was a joy to watch. It showcased all the things about him that made many believe he was a draft steal back in April. He showed awareness to find the football, ball skills to get it and then speed to take it back for what was the decisive touchdown of the Chicago Bears’ third victory of 2017.
It also marked the second-straight week a Bears safety had scored. A complete turnaround from where this team had been for the past decade. Indeed that position has given them lots of problems over that span. Player after player was unable to fill the void, making safety one of the weak points of an otherwise strong defense.
Jackson was merely the latest in a long line of mid round picks and free agents trying to help fix it. At last it appears the Bears have scored a hit. His progress over the past few weeks is impressive. As it turns out his biggest play as a Bear got a huge assist from the greatest source ever.
Eddie Jackson interception laid out in practice by Mike Glennon
Everybody would rather not remember the brief Mike Glennon experience through the first four games of this season. It was hard to watch at time, mostly due to turnover issues. Well get ready for some irony. Turns out Glennon played a pivotal role to Jackson’s big moment on Sunday according to teammate Prince Amukamara.
“The latest version included a bullet point that stuck in Prince Amukamara’s mind. Whenever the Panthers lined up two receivers on each side of the formation and split them wide, the veteran cornerback should be aware of a slant pattern.
So as the Panthers got set Sunday for third-and-10 from the Bears’ 33-yard line in the second quarter, Amukamara’s memory set off alarm bells.
He recognized the formation. Two-by-two. Wide split.
Watch the slant.
Amukamara chuckled at his locker as he recalled how a scenario similar to the interception played out in practice last week.
Bears scout-team quarterback Mike Glennon threw the slant, but in that case, Amukamara called off Jackson to get the deflected ball himself.
On Sunday, Jackson charged after it, undeterred by the traffic.”
It seems rather fitting. Glennon wasn’t much of a help on the Bears offense. So being the team player he is he applied his talents towards helping the defense instead. It’s hard to argue with the results. Hopefully he’ll keep it up so Jackson can get more.
