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Nick Hostetler Is Not Watching The Tank With Bated Breath And Explains The Chess Match Of The Draft

By
Matt Enuco
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Nick Hostetler is the architect of a blooming rebuild in Chicago.

The tank meter is running as most White Sox fans check the daily race to the bottom of Major League Baseball. What’s at the end of this gloomy rainbow? The first overall pick in next year’s draft, of course.

And what makes the next three games worth watching is to see who will go further in their tanking quest when the San Francisco Giants start a weekend series with the White Sox on Friday. It is unlikely that either team will catch the dreadful Phillies, a team committed to a half-baked rebuild and a young general manager that is clearly in over his head.

But as the White Sox stroll along happily ignoring their major-league plummet, Nick Hostetler and the scouting cognoscenti continue their mission; leave no prospect behind.

The Athletic’s James Fegan corralled White Sox scouting director, Nick Hostetler for a late-season state-of-the-minor-league union conversation and unearthed some interesting insight from the South Siders top scout.

Fegan cut right to the heart of the matter with his first question about Hostetler’s attention to the race-to-the-bottom and what his feelings are at this point about picking No. 1 in the draft.

“To be honest with you James, I don’t pay attention to the picking thing because it can be really tedious,” Hostetler told Fegan. “You can sit there one night and move up a spot, or move down a spot. I’ll check maybe once a week just to see.”

Later, Fegan made a gentle jape about having (Jake) Burger, (Jace) Fry and (Seth) Beer in the same lineup one day, something White Sox fans will soon create an entertaining hashtag about.

But all quips and witty puns aside, Hostetler offered a glimpse into how the organization felt about prospects they netted in trades before they were professionals.

Fegan: … You’ve spoken about how you guys liked Dane Dunning in the draft, but suffice to say the same could be said of Dylan Cease, Blake Rutherford, A.J. Puckett, etc.?

Hostetler: … Dylan Cease is a guy where we loved the upside and the athletic ability he had. Should he have not gotten hurt, he was a guy we were squarely on. It’s not been made a secret that Blake Rutherford was squarely in the mix and discussed about for the pick we chose Zack Collins with. … Even A.J. Puckett might have gone a round higher than where we had him, but he was a guy our analytics department identified and our scouts identified in Southern California that fit the type of player we wanted. All of them are guys we had interest in.

 And this list doesn’t include strikeout-factory Alec Hansen, once hailed as a possible first-overall pick that slipped to the second round.

That Hostetler and his band of bird dogs had prospects like Rutherford, Cease and Puckett in their crosshairs is no surprise. The nature of scouting is such that the elite prospects are on everyone’s radar, but understanding how other teams evaluate talent highlights the complicated calculus of creating a draft board.

It is not as simple as ranking the best players first-to-worst. Whether or not a player will sign for slot-money factors heavily into where players are picked and how a team weighs certain metrics (and how other teams weigh metrics) complicates matters.

Fegan asked Hostetler about the scale of scouting data in assessing prospects and the marriage between eyeballs and measurable.

“The way we operate and we believe is the right way and works best for our organization, is a nice marriage between the two,” Hostetler said. He went on to mention that other teams fall along the vast continuum of evaluation models and opened his playbook for a passing moment.

 

“When we see a stat guy in the draft, we kind of got a pretty good idea, “Well, he’s got good numbers, and he’s had them over the course of two, three seasons, so this is going to be a guy they’re going to take.” We know that going in and we know if we want them we might have to jump a round.”

 

Stopping short of admitting any hint of espionage on a scale of the recent Astros and Cardinals hacking scandal, information is a commodity and many front office officials bounce around the league filling their playbooks with data from previous gigs. It’s a small pond these big fish swim in and they all talk to each other. Considering that this is one big poker game with 30 executives at the table, just imagine how mute casual conversations must be – no one wants to be the guy that slipped and spilled the ingredients of the special sauce.

 

Rodon Scratched From Start Raising Serious Questions About His Durability

By
Matt Enuco
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Rodon scratched after second bout with shoulder stiffness.
Jon Durr/Getty Images North America via Zimbio.

Carlos Rodon was scratched from Thursday’s start with shoulder stiffness. With only 15 minutes to prepare, Mike Pelfrey jumped on the grenade and instantly gave up four runs on a grand slam by Edwin Encarnacion.

Pelfrey survived a tumultuous first on his way to four shaky innings. It certainly was a tall task for Pelfrey to jump into a start minutes before a game having pitched 2 2/3 innings two nights ago. The veteran reached back and battled to mop up four innings and ease the pressure on a tired bullpen.

Cleveland completed the sweep of the White Sox with an 11-2 drubbing and extended their win streak to a franchise record 15 games.

Asked about his shoulder after the game, Rodon said, “Just didn’t feel right.” Rodon added, “Just tight.”

Shoulder injuries are always concerning and just a few days ago Rodon told the Chicago Sun-Times that “It’s feeling really good right now,” after a catch between starts. “I just had a really good catch. Felt great.”

Manager Rick Renteria said the level of concern on Rodon’s discomfort is fleeting considering he hadn’t felt pain in the area lately.

“I couldn’t give you a grade because obviously he’s made his last few starts,” Renteria told James Fegan of The Athletic. “So this was a surprise obviously, to everybody.”

Rodon was put on an augmented throwing routine at Spring Training to lessen the burden on his shoulder as he adjusts to the elevated innings associated with a big-league load. After a dominant performance against the Angels, Rodon was scratched from his next start with the same complaints of shoulder stiffness. The southpaw was later diagnosed with biceps bursitis, a favorable diagnosis considering the parade of horribles. Yet, he didn’t return to the White Sox rotation until almost half way through the season.

After a dominant performance against the Angels, Rodon was scratched from his next start with similar complaints of shoulder stiffness. The southpaw was later diagnosed with biceps bursitis, a favorable diagnosis considering the parade of horribles. Yet, he didn’t return to the White Sox rotation until June 28.

This is concerning. Tightness is never something to fool around with and that it has resurfaced again is alarming. Rodon has only thrown 69 1/3 innings, a mere fraction of the 165 he threw last season.

Rodon has a stiff delivery and after he returned from the D.L. I was suspicious that he might be pitching through some pain. Only he can answer that question, but given his disappearance on Thursday, there might be more to this story than meets the eye. The White Sox would be wise to take a thorough look at what is going on with their prized southpaw and even consider shutting him down for the remainder of the season.

Franson Signs PTO Agreeement With Blackhawks

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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Dhiren Mahiban, who was one of the first to report the Blackhawks interest in Franson, announced they have signed him to a PTO.

Franson was the last dependable defenseman left on the free agent market. If it works out, he we will be playing in the third defensive pairing on the right side behind Seabrook and Murphy.

As stated, this is a “Professional Try Out” and not a full contract. If things work out in training camp and to start the season, it is likely he will be offered a full contract when Hossa is put on LTIR.

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

Vic Fangio Proves Again He Gives Zero F**ks About Bears Policy

By
Erik Lambert
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vic fangio
Credit: Chicago Tribune

It almost seems like Vic Fangio was destined to coach in Chicago. The Bears defensive coordinator established himself as one of the more memorable personalities on the team since his arrival in 2015. Not only is he their best assistant coach on the staff, he’s also the most entertaining. He correctly predicted his arrival to the city would turn around its baseball fortunes. At the same time he began to cultivate another reputation.

He couldn’t care less for the teams’ media policies.

GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox stick to the company line, offering up generic answers for most questions and giving little of their personal feelings away. Fangio sees that mode of operation, crumples it into a tiny ball and throws it in the trash. He proved that yet again during the weekly press conference leading up to opening day against Atlanta.

Vic Fangio was in rare form during Q&A session

Things started innocently enough. Fangio was asked about the upcoming opponent, the Falcons. He talked about how their running game is the best the Bears have seen yet this year and what makes Julio Jones so hard to stop. He also explained how the coaches began molding Roy Robertson-Harris into a defensive end as far back as week five of last season.

It wasn’t until later in the session that he started to fire off some of his trademark shoot-from-the-hip answers. It started with the much-maligned secondary.

Not a savage burn but a slight sting to it. Honesty can do that sometimes. Things got even better though when the subject of Pernell McPhee came up. The outside linebacker practiced for the first time this week after spending all of training camp and preseason on the PUP list. Rather than play coy like Fox normally would, Fangio gave a straight answer when asked if the key pass rusher would play.

Good news. At the same time though, Fangio couldn’t help but take a shot at the Bears training staff. Given the rash of injury problems this team has had the past two years, they’ve been under a lot of fire lately. Fangio gave them no breaks when he declared whether McPhee would be the same player he was two years ago and the staffs’ contrary stances on his status.

It’s not hard to see why Bears fans love him so much, and why many would prefer he were running the team. Chicago has always been a city that required coaches with no filter on their mouths. It worked for Ditka, it worked for Phil Jackson, Ozzie Guillen and Joe Maddon. All anyone can say at this point is for Fangio to never change.

This Bears Schedule Quirk Explains Why Glennon Is Still Starting

By
Erik Lambert
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bears schedule

People are running out of explanations for why the Chicago Bears continue to maintain their original plan of starting Mike Glennon. This despite clear evidence that rookie Mitch Trubisky is progressing faster than expected. To say nothing of the fact he brings so much more in terms of overall physical potential to the table with his mobility and accuracy.

So again. Why? Is game experience really the only reason this team refuses to green light the Trubisky era over Glennon? Well yes, in a way. See there may be a bit of strategic thinking in play here regarding, of all things, the Bears schedule. No this doesn’t have to do with the overall difficulty of the first four games. That’s already been covered and speculated over.

No it’s a bit more specific than that.

Glennon has familiarity with key opponents of early Bears schedule

One thing that has gone overlooked to this point is the opponents Chicago will face. All fans have been told is it’s a murderous first eight games that will face a host of top quarterbacks. What they failed to mention is a key aspect that might help explain why Glennon was signed in the first place.

Remember the Bears knew who their schedule opponents were well in advance of free agency or the draft. So that knowledge may have actually worked in their favor. How? Adam Hoge of WGN helped explain.

Also, Glennon knows the Falcons and Bucs much better than Trubisky does. He’s played against Atlanta four times in his career and actually put up really good numbers (73 of 102, 6 TD, 0 INT, 112.4 rating). Of course, the Falcons are a much different team now than the one Glennon last started against in 2013, but he prepared for Atlanta twice as recently as last season. He also knows the Bucs — his former employer — better than anyone in the Bears’ organization.

“I’ve gone against (the Falcons) eight times in my career,” Glennon said. “It’s been a different defensive coordinator for the past two years, and I wasn’t necessarily playing, but I studied them … I came in with some knowledge of them, better than I would opponents in the NFC North because I’ve game-planned them and studied them multiple times over the past couple years.”

Inside knowledge and history work in his favor

Glennon comes from the NFC South division where he’s stayed for the past four years. Coincidentally, the Bears play all four of those teams in the first half of the season. They play Atlanta in the opener and Tampa Bay in week two. Then they’ll play Carolina and New Orleans in two-straight weeks from October 22nd to the 29th.

People like to say Glennon only won five games as a starter. Interesting side note to all this. Two of those five victories came against teams the Bears play in the first half (Atlanta and Pittsburgh). So that’s four teams he’ll play from a division he knows inside and out and another team he’s beaten once before in the Steelers.

Sure this doesn’t guarantee anything. It’s the NFL after all. Nonetheless this would go a long way towards explaining the thought process behind signing Glennon and making sure he remains the starter. At least for the first half of the year. Perhaps he really does give them a better chance to win.

McCaskeys Hint John Fox Is In Trouble if Bears Don’t Progress

By
Erik Lambert
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head coach john fox

GM Ryan Pace may be running the show for the Chicago Bears and that hasn’t changed. At the same time, the ultimate direction of the franchise remains squarely in the hands of its owners. Specifically matriarch Virginia McCaskey and here son George, current team chairman. They made sweeping changes after the debacle in 2014 that saw the Bears give up 50 points in back-to-back games during a 5-11 death march. Now they’ve tried to stay patient, but it’s clear enough. Head coach John Fox is behind the 8-ball.

He was supposedly a man known for creating quick turnarounds for downtrodden franchises. Carolina and Denver can attest to that. However, Chicago presented a more significant challenge. Unlike those teams, which featured younger rosters with some solid talent already in place, the Bears were an old team with few talents to build around.

Combined with a litany of injury problems, they’ve careened to a 9-23 record across two years. Still the ownership stayed patient, giving Fox the typical three years it takes to overhaul a roster. This is Year Three now. Results are often expected around this time, and he’s under pressure to deliver.

Head coach John Fox does not have time on his side

Of course the big question is would the Bears fire the 62-year old if his team doesn’t reach a certain expectation. McCaskey didn’t come right out and say so. No owner in their right mind would do that. Even so he made it fairly clear that they would be watching carefully and the expectations were elevated for this year. Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune lays it out as such.

“She sees the progress,” George McCaskey noted at the NFL owners meetings this spring. “But like any Bears fan, she wants results.”

At this stage, might the “pissed off” label still ring true? “That’s the quote that won’t go away,” George answered. “Until we win.”

Yep, these are the Bears in 2017, still mired in mediocrity and heading for a new season with no obvious signs that they’re nearing a significant breakthrough. Ownership has been clear to stress that there are no ultimatums for this fall, no win-loss benchmarks that will determine the job security for Fox and his staff. But it’s easy to deduce that this is a win-or-else season for the 62-year-old coach.

In Fox’s time in Chicago, his Bears have won barely a quarter of their games, shackled with a 9-23 record that has elevated aggravation and apathy throughout the fan base.

Fox enters the third season of his four-year deal. And with NFL head coaches rarely entering the final year of their contracts without an extension or a dismissal, the stakes seem clear.

Are the Bears already thinking ahead?

It’s true. The last time the Bears faced this sort of situation was 2006. Lovie Smith was in the second-to-last year of his deal. Chicago went to the Super Bowl and he got his raise. He also went to the playoffs the year before so there was never any question he was safe. Fox has no such safety net. Not only is he older than Smith was, but the win-loss counter is skewed.

Smith got his reprieve through running the ball and playing great defense. Fox seems to hope he can do the same. Otherwise it’s clearer than ever the team is ready to make a change. In fact rumors were rampant earlier in the offseason that, and take this with a grain of salt, the Bears tried to get him to resign so they wouldn’t have to fire him.

Fox refused and so the status quo was kept. Pace denied such rumors but since then reports of the head coach not being made aware of the Mitch Trubisky trade in the draft hints he’s not as “in the loop” as he once was. Is it all pure speculation or a sign the team is preparing to make a change?

The answer will become clear if he fails to win enough games.

You Need To See Nate Robinson Dunk Over Shaq On Set Of Uncle Drew

By
Matt Peck
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bulls nate robinson dunks shaq uncle drew movie set

What started as a commercial campaign for Pepsi is now a full-fledged Hollywood movie in the making. Newly traded NBA star Kyrie Irving and his character “Uncle Drew” will star in a movie with the same name due out in 2018. Several current and retired NBA players will appear as characters in the film. Among them are TNT personality Shaquille O’Neal and former Bulls fan favorite and three-time slam dunk champion Nate Robinson.

While goofing off on the movie set earlier this week, Robinson – in full makeup and costume – rose up and dunked over his former Boston Celtics teammate.

Watch the clip below:

Baby Nate still has it!

The journeyman point guard, now 33, has recently expressed interest in making a return to the NBA. He last played for the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2015-16 season, appearing in just two games. Robinson played just one year in Chicago, but left quite a lasting impression. During the 2012-13 season, the undersized guard filled in dutifully for a Bulls roster still reeling from the absence of the injured Derrick Rose.

Most notably, he led a one-man comeback against the Brooklyn Nets in Game 4 of the opening round of the 2013 playoffs. The Bulls won in triple overtime, and Robinson’s performance will go down as one of the greatest the United Center has ever seen.

While he waits for a phone call from an NBA team in need of his services, it looks like Nate is having plenty of fun dunking over old teammates on movie sets. One thing’s certain: Baby Nate still has major ups.

Dennis Rodman Thinks He Can Save Us All From Nuclear War

By
Matt Peck
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dennis rodman save us nuclear war kim jong un

The Worm and Kim Fatty the Third. The unlikeliest of friendships…and the world’s saving grace as we teeter on the edge of nuclear warfare? Sounds ridiculous, but Hall of Famer and Bulls legend Dennis Rodman is willing to try.

Appearing on the television show “Good Morning Britain” yesterday, Rodman discussed specifics of his friendship with Kim Jong-Un, the internationally ostracized leader of North Korea. The retired basketball player has visited the dictator several times over the last few years, organizing pickup games and extending an olive branch.

“For me to go over there and see (Kim) as much as I have, I basically hang out with him all the time. We laugh, we sing karaoke, we do a lot of cool things together. We ride horses, we hang out, we go skiing, we hardly ever talk politics and that’s the good thing.” – Dennis Rodman

But in his most recent interview overseas, it sounds like Rodman might be willing to finally breach the subject of politics with his pal amid the increasing tension between North Korea and the rest of the world’s leaders.

The Worm was careful to make it known he’s not choosing sides in what is thus far just a war of words and threats between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump.

“I don’t love (Kim). I just want to try to straighten things out for everyone to get along together.” – Dennis Rodman

Perhaps Rodman sees wrongdoing “on many sides” in this heightened state of global tension? He is a fan of Trump, after all. He gave the president’s book “The Art of the Deal” to North Korea’s sports minister on a recent visit. He also appeared in a season of Trump’s reality show Celebrity Apprentice and formed a friendship with the president when he was merely a business tycoon and TV star.

North Korea tested a hydrogen bomb last weekend, the latest in a series of arms tests led by Kim Jong-Un. With North Korea’s increased weapons activity, Trump warned their leader that they would be met with “fire and fury” the likes of which have never been seen should they continue to provoke international nuclear war.

Rodman was busy winning championships with the Detroit Pistons at the tail end of the Cold War. Now that he has more free time, maybe he could play a larger role in defusing this similarly escalating international standoff.

If The Worm can’t save us from World War III, who can?

Chicago Bears 2017 Season Predictions

By
Dhruv Koul
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started mitch trubisky
(Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune) Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky throws a touchdown pass to wide receiver Victor Cruz during the first half of the preseason opener against the Broncos at Solider Field on Aug. 10, 2017.

Ladies and gentlemen — we made it. Week 1 of the regular season is here! Football — real football, mind you — is finally back.

The state of the Chicago Bears and how they got here over the past 12 months is well documented. Here’s a quick, high level recap:

  • Tons of injuries and poor talent led to a miserable 2016 season
  • The Jay Cutler Era in Chicago ended after eight seasons
  • Mike Glennon was signed to a starter’s deal when free agency began
  • Ryan Pace stunned the football world by drafting Mitch Trubisky 2nd overall
  • Trubisky lit it up during training camp and the preseason, whereas Glennon faltered

Alas, John Fox & Co decided that Glennon will start the season opener against the defending NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field on Sunday. For a guy whose job is on the line, Fox sure has a lot of faith in someone who hasn’t looked the part. Experience be damned.

Still, all hope is not lost. Health permitting, and yes – this is a qualifier for everything, the defense looks like it’s going to be awesome. The obvious strength of this team, many experts project them to be a Top 10 unit, yours truly included. The special teams unit also looks like it has improved leaps and bounds from past years.

The offense, though, is worrisome. Apart from having Glennon start, losing Cameron Meredith is a killer. The depth on the receiving corps is non-existent. I’m interested in seeing what kinds of calls and packages Dowell Loggains comes up with to try to free up some of his lesser receivers that will assume larger responsibilities this year. I already think highly of him as an offensive coordinator, and if he can make decent tasting lemonade with the personnel he has at his disposal, the Bears would be hard pressed not to consider him seriously for their head coaching job should they choose to move on from John Fox at the end of the year.

That being said, and using the new data we’ve gathered about this team from the offseason, training camp and preseason, it’s time to predict how the 2017 Chicago Bears season will go down.

Regular Season Predictions

Week 1: Atlanta Falcons, in Chicago – W (1-0): Surprise! I think the Super Bowl hangover for the losing team is real. And every new season brings new hope and fire to all players, even those on teams not projected to do much like the Bears. On talent alone, the Bears don’t measure up. But I have a feeling the defense will be looking to make a statement. Look for rookie safety Eddie Jackson to play hero in some way, shape, or form.

Week 2: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in Tampa Bay – L (1-1): The Bears got rocked in Tampa last year. The Bucs are a solid team that got better in the offseason, and I expect Jameis Winston to take the next step this year. It’s going to be an ugly return for Mike Glennon.

Week 3: Pittsburgh Steelers, in Chicago – L (1-2): The Steelers are so much fun to watch. With arguably the best receiver in the NFL, along with, in my opinion, the best running back in the NFL, I don’t see the Bears putting up enough points.

Week 4: Green Bay Packers, in Green Bay – L (1-3): Yeah, the Bears aren’t winning at Lambeau with Mike Glennon at quarterback. On a different note, why, recently, are Bears-Packers prime time games in Green Bay every time?

Week 5: Minnesota Vikings, in Minnesota – W (2-3): I think this is when John Fox makes the switch and goes to Mitch Trubisky. The future is here. The fans are pumped. Trubisky’s first NFL start under the lights in front of a national audience. Pack it in, Vikings.

Week 6: Baltimore Ravens, in Baltimore – W (3-3): I don’t think Joe Flacco is that good, Super Bowl MVP or not. There, I said it. I think the defense can make his life hell. And I think they will. Look for a defensive score to be the difference.

Week 7: Carolina Panthers, in Chicago – L (3-4): I expect this to be a defensive slugfest. In the end, I think Trubisky’s inexperience shows up and he makes one mistake too many. Luke Kuechly is going to have a field day toying with the rook.

Week 8: New Orleans Saints, in New Orleans – L (3-5): The Superdome has not been kind to the Bears. And Drew Brees still has tons of weapons. Ryan Pace will watch his old franchise quarterback beat his new franchise quarterback.

Week 9: BYE

Week 10: Green Bay Packers, in Chicago – W (4-5): I think the Bears have improved to the point where they can compete with Green Bay now. They did so last year with Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley at quarterback. Yes, situations were different, but I expect Leonard Floyd to terrorize the Packers’ offensive line and create a turnover that happens to be the difference. In fact, at this point, Leonard Floyd will be terrorizing all offensive lines.

Week 11: Detroit Lions, in Chicago – W (5-5): I don’t think the Lions are a very good team. I’m higher on Matthew Stafford than many cynics in Detroit might be, but I’ll take Trubisky against their defense over Stafford against Chicago’s defense.

Week 12: Philadelphia Eagles, in Philadelphia – L (5-6): The reunion with Alshon Jeffery will not go well. I expect him to dominate. 200+ yards, maybe?

Week 13: San Francisco, in Chicago – W (6-6): The 49ers will be better than last year’s dumpster fire that got blown out 26-6 at snowy Soldier Field against Matt Barkley. Will they be better to the point of actually competing against the Bears? Unlikely.

Week 14: Cincinnati Bengals, in Cincinnati – L (6-7): At this point, being 6-6, the Bears are right in the middle of wild card discussions. Exciting! But they’re just not ready. And they’ll prove it by laying an egg against an often disappointing Bengals team.

Week 15: Detroit Lions, in Detroit – L (6-8): Ford Field has been a circle of Hell for the Bears in recent years. From blowouts to blown leads, the Bears have suffered every imaginable loss there. Stafford & Co. kill any remaining playoff hope for Chicago.

Week 16: Cleveland Browns, in Chicago – W (7-8): It’s the Browns. I repeat. It’s the Browns. Trubisky going up against his hometown team? Expect him to eat.

Week 17: Minnesota Vikings, in Minnesota – L (7-9): The Bears haven’t had much luck when finishing their seasons in Minnesota the last few years. The Bears end this season with another whimper.

Season Totals: 7-9, 3rd in the NFC North

Award Predictions

Most Valuable Player: Jordan Howard
Honorable Mention: Mitch Trubisky

Offensive Player of the Year (Non-QB Edition): Jordan Howard
Honorable Mention: Kendall Wright

Defensive Player of the Year: Leonard Floyd
Honorable Mentions: Akiem Hicks, Jerrell Freeman

Offensive Surprise of the Year (Non-QB Edition): Dion Sims
Honorable Mention: Deonte Thompson

Defensive Surprise of the Year: Jonathan Bullard
Honorable Mention: Cre’Von Leblanc, Kyle Fuller

Rookie of the Year (Non-Mitch Edition): Eddie Jackson
Honorable Mention: Tarik Cohen

Crazy Fact of the Year: Mitch Trubisky finishes with a passer rating > Jay Cutler’s career best of 92.3.
Honorable Mention: Tarik Cohen finishes with more yards than Kevin White

John Fox Is Angry About a Recent NFL Scheduling Change

By
Erik Lambert
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angry john fox

Angry John Fox is usually a thing reserved for Sundays when the refs aren’t doing their jobs right. He’s such a laid back guy that he often doesn’t show more than annoyance when he’s off the field. However, there are certain things he can get a little upset about. Most of them involve his team of course and the NFL may have flipped that switch.

Granted it’s not entirely the league’s fault but it’s still something to note. As most know by know the terrifying Hurricane Irma is barreling through the Caribbean. The Category 5 storm is expected to slam into the state of Florida by the end of this week. This causes problems for everybody in the state, naturally, but also the NFL.

A game is scheduled for the weekend between the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With this situation, the league was forced to make a decision. The game would have to either be moved elsewhere or postponed. They chose the latter, and that did not sit well with Fox.

Angry John Fox believes league gave Bucs added advantage.

What does this have to do with the Bears? Well the Dolphins-Buccaneers game was moved to week 11 where the two teams share a bye week. Essentially that means opening day will be a bye for both teams. Unfortunately for the Bears this means Tampa Bay has a week-and-a-half of extra time to prepare for their matchup in week two. This while Chicago has to stay focused on Atlanta.

It’s easy to see why he might be upset about that. The Bears already have enough to worry about with their early schedule. All of their first four opponents had winning records in 2016. It’s not like those teams needed added advantage. Tampa Bay especially given they walloped Chicago 36-10 last year.

The Buccaneers starters will have had three full weeks off by that point since most did not play in the preseason finale. Bears players will be coming off what is certain to be a physical contest with the reigning NFC champions. Given this team already dealt with the second-hardest schedule last year, this development look like a slow motion groin punch.

At least Fox was willing to say so, in a diplomatic way. Is there anything he can do about it? Nope.

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