With all the questions surrounding the future of the Chicago Bears, everybody should feel comfortable knowing they are in good hands. The general manager, Ryan Pace, has been indirectly credited with absolutely demolishing the 2016 NFL Draft now that the season has ended… and it’s time to give some credit where it’s due.
This was good news for the youngest GM in the NFL because the seventh overall pick from the year before and his first with the Bears, Kevin White, was sidelined once again this season with an injury. Pace was brought to Chicago after being a former director of scouting for New Orleans, his eye for talent was the reason he was hired. White hasn’t helped Pace’s cause much, neither did a handful of free agents that initially failed but last year’s draft sure did.
After the final games of the regular season concluded, Pro Football Focus released a report that basically told everyone it’s time to start taking Pace very seriously.
Although technically we have begun a new calendar year, the Cubs hype has carried into 2017. We’ve seen stories of fans commemorating the team’s World Series championship in arguably the most permanent way one can think — a tattoo.
I myself have a championship tattoo and I’d like to tell those people that think a tattoo is the best way to honor the 2016 champions they are completely wrong.
The good news for the NHL is that the ratings were up from last year’s Winter Classic. The bad news is that ratings have gone down each time the Chicago Blackhawks play in the Winter Classic.
In 2009, the Winter Classic featuring the Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings had a 2.9 overnight rating. This was the highest of any Winter Classic game played, but the number declined to 2.3 in 2015 and 1.88 in 2017.
The downward trend doesn’t only point to the Blackhawks Winter Classic games but also the Stadium Series. In the 2014 Stadium series the Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins received a 2.1 rating but only a 1.2 against the Minnesota Wild in 2016. The latter is the worst rating for any NHL outdoor game.
Unfavorable match-ups, poor weather or the Blackhawks lackluster play in such games could be used as excuses for the ratings, but maybe hockey fans are just tired of seeing the Blackhawks. Winter Classic games aren’t matched up against any other NHL games and have the advantage of being on national television. It’s a tough pill to swallow for Blackhawks fans and the NHL, but hockey does not revolve around Chicago.
There has been a ton of speculation involving Chicago and a possible trade for New England’s backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The ties between Garoppolo and the Bears are plentiful including growing up in Illinois and playing for the same college football team as general manager Ryan Pace, go Panthers.
Last week an asking price for the 25 year-old was leaked from the New England area and it was rumored to include a first-round pick.
First and a fourth for Jimmy Garoppolo? Yeah, sure. Good luck, Bill.
Most analysts immediately refuted that report saying they wouldn’t give up anything more than a 2017 second-round choice for Garoppolo. Those analysts included former NFL talent evaluator Greg Gabriel, instead he came up with another plan for the first-round pick.
Considering his complete body of work in the NFL so far and Bill Belichick’s keen eye for talent, it’s hard to put a price tag on Garoppolo’s potential. None of the New England quarterbacks traded by Belichick have done anything significant with their new teams, why would Garoppolo be any different?
Gabriel appears on Chicago radio quite often to share his in-depth analysis on the Bears and his recent article published by CBS proposed a fascinating trade proposal that is considered a win-win for both teams involved. It also includes the first-round pick New England wants.
Welcome to the Chicago Bulls’ history books, Jimmy Butler. The Marquette kid poured in 52 points in the Bulls’ 118-111 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. It was a season high for Butler, and just one point shy of his career high 53 points in an overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers on January 14, 2016. In the present tense, it meant a much-needed win for a struggling Bulls team playing without Jimmy’s sidekick Dwyane Wade. But looking back on Bulls history, it meant so much more.
The Big 5-0
Butler became only the second Bulls player in franchise history with multiple 50-point games. Can you guess who the other one is? Michael Jeffrey Jordan, obviously. The GOAT had 30, that’s right THIRTY games with 50 or more points over his illustrious Bulls career. So Butler’s got a ways to go before coming anywhere near that legendary status. Still, it’s an impressive feat for the 27 year old. Jordan was the #3 overall pick when he entered the league, and an immediate sensation as Rookie of the Year. Butler, on the other hand, had little fanfare when taken with the 30th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. Nobody expected this kind of star-level production from Jimmy G Buckets.
Only two other players have hit the 50 mark in a Bulls uniform.
Chet “The Jet” Walker played six of his thirteen NBA seasons in Chicago. He made 4 of his 7 All Star appearances as a member of the Bulls spanning 1970-1974. The small forward dropped in 56 points on February 6, 1972. Chicago beat the Cincinnati Royals 119-94. Walker was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Chet Walker of the Chicago Bulls
Jamal Crawford, whom the Bulls acquired from Cleveland on draft day in 2000, spent his first four NBA seasons in Chicago. In his third to last game ever wearing a Bulls jersey, Crawford scored 50 points against the Toronto Raptors on April 11, 2004. The Bulls won in overtime, 114-108 thanks to 51 tireless minutes from Crawford. Now in his 18th season, the ageless guard is still playing meaningful minutes with the L.A. Clippers, where he’s played since 2012.
A very young Jamal Crawford sports the Bulls #1 long before the arrival of Derrick Rose.
Congrats to Jimmy Butler for joining Jordan in this elite club! Now if only he had some help from his teammates on a more consistent basis.
The Chicago Blackhawks are in need of scoring if they want to continue winning this season and into the postseason. A rumor has surfaced from a reputable source out of Colorado that the organization is interested in 39 year old Jarome Iginla if Marian Hossa is out longer than anticipated.
The 500 goal scorer could find rejuvenation with a playoff bound hockey team much like late season additions in previous Blackhawks Stanley Cup runs. Names like Brad Richards, Antoine Vermette, Kimmo Timonen and Michal Handzus come to mind when we talk about veterans coming in late in the season to contribute.
The only problem with the idea is that Iginla has a $5.3m cap hit and would force the Blackhawks to move a big contract before the offseason. The team would love to bring in a player who has scored more than 20 goals in all but two of his NHL seasons, but it seems unfeasible. If the organization can make this happen it could be the spark he and the team needs going forward.
Chicago considering Jarome Iginla as Hossa replacement
For the longest time Chicago Bears fans have known what the rest of the NFL is finally starting to discover. Dave Toub is a hell of a football coach. For years he masterminded some of the best special teams units the Windy City has ever had. He turned Devin Hester into the greatest return man in NFL history. The man has it down to such a science that he can actually game plan the third phase depending on situation.
Colleagues swear by him, stating it’s long overdue for him to get a chance at being a head coach in the NFL. Some wanted the Bears to give him that opportunity, but it didn’t work out. Thankfully another superlative year at his current job in Kansas City, which saw him help create another electric star in Tyreek Hill, teams are finally lining up for interviews.
The Chargers have requested permission to interview Chiefs special teams Dave Toub for their HC position
The fact that the Chargers and Broncos are in the same division speaks wonders about the respect they have for Toub. He’s learned at the right hand of Andy Reid for years and is admired for his ability to maximize his units despite a constantly shifting roster. That ability to improvise and motivate are what head coaches do. To top it off he’s pretty well-connected around the league, so odds are he’d be able to field a pretty strong staff.
Don’t forget that John Harbaugh and Bill Cowher were prominently known for being special teams coaches for large parts of their career. Both of them have Super Bowl rings. At the end of the day it must be stated that a good coach is a good coach. It doesn’t matter if they were offensive, defensive or special teams. Some guys just know how to do it.
Dave Toub has proven year after year that he’s one of them.
With Spring Training just a few months away, teams already have their coaching staffs in place. For the White Sox, specifically, the team hired Rick Renteria to be their manager back in October.
However, teams may still be looking to fill roles in their front office. For example, the Arizona Diamondbacks hired Dan Haren as a Special Pitching Assistant. This suggests that franchises could look to bring in former players or managers as consultants for the 2017 season.
If they succeed in that role and prove that they’re worthwhile additions to the team, perhaps they can gain a bigger role within the organization going forward.
Phil Rogers, an MLB Insider for MLB.com, recently he wrote an article about moves that “every team” should make. Rogers believes that any of these moves could help each team going forward.
Most of the moves consisted of trades of MLB-ready talent or suggested free agent signings; however, there was one outlier. Rogers wrote this about a former World-Series-winning White Sox manager:
Hire Ozzie Guillen. He’s only 52, but he has been out of uniform for four years since he was dismissed after one season as Miami’s manager. Guillen’s teams with the White Sox and Marlins were a combined +20 in the Pythagorean standings, which points to the value that’s wasted while he remains on the sidelines. He was his own worst enemy at times late in his managerial run, but he still has much to offer. It would be great to see him back in uniform in Spring Training, even as a consultant.
Ozzie Guillen is one of the more polarizing figures in recent memory; however, having managed and won a World Series, that experience is incredibly valuable and could undoubtedly prove vital for a franchise in need of success.
For his nine-year managerial career, Guillen holds a 678-617 record with the 2005 White Sox being the feather in his proverbial cap.
So, what’s the problem? Well, he hasn’t been in MLB since 2012, when he was the manager of the Miami Marlins. He was fired after one season with the team.
Guillen would likely have to start in that consultant role. If he could prove to teams that he is worthy of being apart of an MLB franchise again, there is a chance that he could get another chance in the league. If a team is interested in making a “splash” signing, Guillen could fit the bill.
With that being said, it is unlikely that Guillen would return to the White Sox. He and VP Ken Williams have had issues in the past. While Williams has said he would support Guillen’s return to baseball, the South Sider’s likely want to keep all ties with the former manager cut.
Guillen has said in the past that he would love to coach in the MLB again. Perhaps a team is willing to give him a chance. If Phil Rogers gets his way, Ozzie Guillen would be with an MLB franchise before the beginning of the 2017 season.
Feel free to continue the conversation on Twitter: @DFappiano14.
There have been several rumors about the upcoming divorce that’s expected to take place between the Bears and Jay Cutler, and his actions Monday didn’t help quiet them.
The 33 year-old veteran has spent eight years with Chicago amassing a less-than-impressive 51-51 record with a 85.2 QB rating. Those numbers are disappointing when you factor in the two first-round picks, and the third, the Bears gave up for him, in addition to former starter Kyle Orton. Since acquiring Cutler in 2009, Chicago has only won the NFC North division once.
After bringing in Adam Gase, through the hiring of John Fox, Cutler had one of his best years as a professional in 2015 posting a 92.3 rating. Expectations were high as Dowell Loggains took over as offensive coordinator after Gase split for Miami, but those high expectations were met with very low results when Cutler posted a 78.1 rating this season, his worst since 2009.
Add that emergence of Brian Hoyer, and Matt Barkley, and Cutler becomes the odd man out. With a salary cap hit of between $16-$21 million for the next four seasons, Jay will likely be traded or cut this off-season.
Trading Cutler is expected to be difficult with his contract, but the guaranteed money is up and it could help secure him for a team that might not want to get in a bidding war on the open market. Cutting Cutler would give the Bears flexible cap space and allow for more future moves, so it appears to be a win-win for Chicago either way. Most Bears fans would obviously like to get a draft pick in return if possible.
As much as all this makes sense, it’s just speculation as of right now. Cutler’s actions on Monday though, were incredibly telling.
Bulls center Robin Lopez is clearly a child of the ’90s. He’s admittedly a huge comic book nerd. He also frequently compares himself to the lovable dork Screech from the hit ’90s TV show “Saved By The Bell.”
So it should come as no surprise that when deciding on a birthday gift for his teammate Doug McDermott, Lopez went with another classic ’90s throwback. Earlier today, Doug posted this to his Instagram account:
Sounds like Dougie McBuckets has a thing for Patty Mayonnaise. Let’s be honest, what child of the ’90s didn’t?
Given the faded coloration and sequence number in the top right corner, this appears to be an authentic piece of animation from the hit Nickelodeon show “Doug.” You have to wonder where on earth Lopez found such a gem. It also makes me really curious to see what kind of artwork Robin has adorning the walls of his place.
Lopez has his birthday coming up on April 1st. Will McDermott follow suit and get him a framed picture of Dustin Diamond? Let’s hope so.
