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Bears Insider Claims Mitch Trubisky May Win Starting Job Outright

By
Erik Lambert
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mitch trubisky starter

The Chicago Bears sales pitch since the end of the draft hasn’t changed. Their plan is clear moving forward. Mike Glennon is the man right now. He will be the starter in 2017. The Mitch Trubisky starter enthusiasts will have to wait a year. The team wants their prized top draft pick to learn the offense from the safety of the sideline and be prepared to assume control down the line. He is the future, not the present.

Except there seems to be a growing movement that believe this black and white reality is a tiny bit hogwash. The arguments against sidelining Trubisky are more plentiful than people think. For one the sooner he gets on the field, the quicker he gains experience and the quicker he gets better. He’s also the most versatile player on the depth chart with running ability that Glennon does not possess.

However, there is another reason that a notable Bears insider referenced recently in an interview. Trubisky is simply improving at such a rapid rate in practice that it’s becoming hard to justify benching him.

Mitch Trubisky starter calls could grow deafening soon

John “Moon” Mullin of CSN Chicago is one of the longest-tenured Bears beat writers going in town. He’s had his finger on the teams’ pulse for a long time. So it’s never a bad thing to listen when he has something to say. That’s why it was a bit of a shock when he dropped this miniature bomb during an interview with Pro Football Talk on NBC.

“It would not stun me to have this kid really flash in preseason and win the job outright,” Mullin said of Trubisky. “I don’t think it’s going to happen but it wouldn’t stun me. You see them alongside each other, you see them trading off the reps and so forth. Trubisky’s got the ‘it’ factor. I’ve seen a lot of quarterbacks and this kid’s got something to him. You don’t see that with Glennon. This kid, when he’s on the field, kind of lights it up a little bit.”

Note the phrasing of this carefully. Mullin said he doesn’t think it will happen, but more than implied he believes it should. In other words that’s a clear indication he doesn’t trust Bears head coach John Fox to make that bold decision. Fox is somewhat notorious for being conservative. He doesn’t like playing rookies if he has an excuse not to. Some feel the Glennon signing was the teams’ way of placation, giving him an experienced free agent QB to play with while the front office drafted the future in Trubisky.

Indeed the rookie has had his hiccups thus far. His issues with taking a snap under center manifested with multiple botches during the first camp practices. There hasn’t been a single mention of them since. He’s also, according to public knowledge, only thrown one interception. Granted that’s against mostly second and third string defenders but still. Rookies aren’t supposed to be learning as fast as he has.

Message is pretty clear:  Leave the door open

In essence the plea from fans and some experts isn’t hard to discern. All they want is for the Bears brass to give Mitch a legitimate chance. Don’t hold him down. If he shows in the preseason that he’s clearly the better quarterback, why stick to the plan? Yes Glennon came in expecting to start but this is the NFL, man. No jobs are guaranteed. If you want it, prove you deserve it.

Sure from a competitive standpoint one would feel for the guy. He’d hoped to finally get his chance to play by signing with Chicago, only to have the rug pulled out from under him. At the same time the Bears just gave him $18.5 million in guaranteed money. They’ve set his financial future up handsomely. They have a job to do at the end of the day and that’s put the best 11 players on the field.

If Trubisky shows he is that guy, then there is no valid excuse to keep him off it.

Cubs Embark On A West Coast ‘Easy Rider’ Trip After Today’s Game

By
Gus
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Even though the Chicago Cubs dropped a heart breaker today at the hands of the Washington Nationals, the fun must go on.

After the game, the team donned some leather vests for their second themed road trip of the 2017 season. Cubs manager Joe Maddon gave everyone a sneak preview of the theme after yesterday’s win.

Maddon is calling this trip the “Easy Rider” road trip to honor the 1969 movie that features Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper as two counterculture bikers traveling from Los Angeles to New Orleans in search of America.

Since the Cubs next six games are on the West Coast, I suppose the theme fits.

Born to be wild.

A post shared by cubs (@cubs) on

Here I am, on the road again.

A post shared by cubs (@cubs) on

✈️✈️✈️🙏🏼🎩 #JB9 #ElMago

A post shared by Javier Báez ⚾ (@javy23baez) on

To San Francisco @cubs @theautofirm @believebystrop #BBSfamily #believebystrop

A post shared by Pedro Strop (@pstroop) on

Some of you will read this and say, “Why don’t they worry about winning baseball games and stop with all the fun stuff?” I’d love to respond to you but Cubs first baseman, Anthony Rizzo, put it into perspective beautifully.

Willson Contreras Is Destroying Everything In His Path

By
Aldo Soto
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Willson Contreras is the best catcher in MLB. Willson Contreras is unstoppable. Willson Contreras has been the best player for the Chicago Cubs since the middle of June. You can’t argue the facts!

In the series finale against the Washington Nationals, Contreras nailed two more monster home runs, giving him 21 on the season, second most on the Cubs behind Anthony Rizzo.

Contreras has been so hot that he can’t even believe it.

He’s tied for the most dingers since the All-Star break.

Stay hot Willy!

Jay Cutler Drops Broadcasting To Sign With Miami Dolphins

By
Erik Lambert
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jay cutler adam gase

Well the situation that people had thought was possible for months finally became a reality. The long-awaited Jay Cutler Adam Gase reunion is happening down with the Miami Dolphins. It just took a timely (and unfortunate) injury to happen. Dolphins starter Ryan Tannehill was suffering from a partially torn ACL which he suffered last year. He felt with a brace he could rehab and avoid surgery. Turns out he was wrong.

After a scramble out of bounds during practice, Tannehill crumpled to the ground. It appeared on video like his knee buckled. Though an MRI revealed no structural damage, former NFL doctor David Chao indicated that it was still bad news. It meant that the knee was not stable due to the prior ACL injury. That meant surgery was 95% unavoidable.

According to Jeff Darlington and others, it seems the Dolphins have reached that conclusion as well.

Of course this puts Miami in a serious bind. Having made the playoffs last season, they had high expectations for 2017. Their odds undoubtedly drop if they’re forced to go forward with veteran backup Matt Moore. Already talk has picked up about alternatives. We hinted at the idea of a Mike Glennon trade in a previous article, but that is unlikely.

Much more palatable is Adam Gase bringing back a familiar face.

Jay Cutler Adam Gase reunion is by far the most logical move

Everybody knows how well Cutler and Gase meshed in 2015 with the Bears. Jay had the most efficient season of his pro career, throwing 21 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions and 3,659 yards for a 92.3 quarterback rating. In a tough year for the team, their relationship was one of the few high points.

Chicago fans were begging Gase to stick around a little longer, but he couldn’t ignore the opportunity to take a head coaching job. Cutler regressed back to his old self in 2016 and was subsequently cut this offseason. He was all set to hang up the cleats and join the broadcast team at FOX, even drawing the job of calling the Bears home opener against Atlanta. Word is though he was open to signing in Miami if he gets to start.

Turns out he wasn’t joking. Miami moved quickly to bring him in. His negotiating power was strong after all. Aside from the Gase connection, their options were either stick with Moore or go with Colin Kaepernick. Neither option seems favorable for the team, one on the field and the other off it.

Whether the addition of Cutler ultimately does anything for them in that division? That’s debatable. The Patriots are still the Patriots and Cutler has never beaten them. In fact he’s 0-3 against them with four touchdowns and five interceptions. Like it or not, this is a desperation move for Miami.

Typically Unimpressed Vic Fangio Gushes Over Leonard Floyd

By
Erik Lambert
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leonard floyd review

One could conceivably call Vic Fangio the NFL’s defensive version of Bruce Arians. He’s a long-time coordinator with an extensive track record of success with several different franchises. He also has a reputation for being honest and blunt when speaking on just about any subject. The man isn’t interested in being diplomatic. If a player sucked in practice or a game, he’ll say so. He’s not a man to give out praise often, which is why it was strange to hear his recent Leonard Floyd review.

Most Chicago Bears fans know that expectations are high for the young outside linebacker in 2017. As a former first round pick, that’s expected. Not to mention the fact he had six sacks in five games during one stretch of his rookie year. It was proof that the Bears may have found their next franchise pass rusher. The trick was could he stay healthy for a full season and could he hone his body and mind for the pro level?

Leonard Floyd review is a glowing one from Fangio

Initial word is he arrived at training camp at least 15 lbs heavier than last season, and all of it good muscle weight. So he’s gotten stronger without losing speed. The other part was whether he’d picked up more of the playbook and honed his hand fighting techniques. Based on Fangio’s response about him, it’s safe to say that’s an affirmative.

“He’s got really good potential,” Fangio said Friday. “I think he’ll be a very good player for us and looked upon as a very good player in the league. If you’re looking for statistical numbers, I can’t put a finger on that. But he’ll be a damn good player.”

Understand that Fangio has coached some great players in his time. He helped turn Ricky Jackson into a Hall of Famer with the New Orleans Saints. Kevin Green played for him for a short period in Carolina. A young Terrell Suggs was at his disposal for a couple years in Baltimore. Lastly there was Aldon Smith in San Francisco. Suffice to say it would take a lot to get such a compliment from the seasoned coordinator.

He went on to explain why his optimism for Floyd is so high.

“It just shows up that he’s able to build upon each day’s work,” Fangio said. “He’s had a good progression here up to date. I think he’s getting better and better at the little things, the things he thought were kind of hard last year, may come easy for him.”

Feels like it’s just a matter of time

Most fans aren’t ready to buy in on Floyd yet. They still have memories of the injury issues he had as a rookie. Particularly the two concussions he suffered. That’s fair. Fan support is earned, not given. At the same time hopes remain sky high. It’s been years since the Bears had a true bookend pass rusher. Floyd has that capability.

If his body doesn’t betray him it feels like almost a forgone conclusion at this point. Floyd is way too quick, athletic and fast to not have NFL success. If he added strength on top of it? Fangio may be right about what’s to come.

Andy Phillips Is Gaining on Connor Barth for Bears Kicker Job

By
Erik Lambert
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connor barth and andy phillips
Credit: USA Today

There are plenty of compelling roster battles on the Chicago Bears depth chart this year. Of course the one at quarterback is grabbing the headlines, but there are some getting overlooked. A big one that fans should care about? Connor Barth and Andy Phillips in their battle to be the kicker for the 2017 season.

Barth is the established veteran at this point. He accepted the unfortunate task of replacing longtime franchise staple Robbie Gould in 2016. All things considered it didn’t go well. He missed five field goals including one blocked and whiffed on an extra point as well. His 78.3% accuracy rate was bellow the standards Chicago is used to.

That’s why GM Ryan Pace signed Phillips as an undrafted free agent out of Utah back in May. He enjoyed lots of success in college and represented the sort of young, cheap alternative that could compete to push Barth. Some though don’t think the Bears view him as a possible replacement.

Seems they were wrong.

Connor Barth and Andy Phillips will take battle into preseason

Special teams coach Jeff Rodgers certainly doesn’t sound like a man convinced his roster is set. The theme of the 2017 Bears is getting the best possible 53 players. That means competitions everywhere. Barth did not show he deserved the job long-term last year. So the team has left the door wide open for the rookie as Rodgers told Chicago Sun-Times.

“Rodgers doesn’t view Phillips, a 28-year-old rookie from Utah who once was an Olympic downhill-skiing hopeful, as merely a “camp leg.”

Phillips will get his chance to kick in preseason games. Rodgers wants to see how he handles the live game action and pressure.

Connor Barth is the clear favorite. He’s reliable within the range the Bears want and battle-tested.

But Phillips earned the nickname “Automatic Andy” for a reason at Utah. His background makes him even more compelling.”

The two got their opportunity to really go at it for the first time at Bears Family Fest in Soldier Field. It marked the first time teams ran live 11-on-11 drills, simulating actual game action. This meant the kickers would be involved. After both doing well in the field goal drills, each got a chance to kick in the scrimmage.

Barth dinged an extra point off the goal post. Phillips nailed his lone field goal attempt. So don’t think for a second the coaches will forget that. This battle will get real as the game action intensifies in preseason.

Signs Point To Reynaldo Lopez Being Called Up This Friday

By
Emmet McClain
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It has been essentially predetermined that White Sox pitching prospect Reynaldo Lopez is next in line to receive the call to the Majors. He was classified as the most ready out of the crop of pitching prospects and has done nothing but dazzle in Triple-A, especially as of late. He has allowed two runs or less in each of his last seven starts. Fans who have been anxiously waiting for Lopez to receive the call up might be getting their wish later this week.

Rick Hahn doesn’t seem to really mince words when it comes to talking about prospects. The night of the Todd Frazier trade, he casually told the media how Yoan Moncada was getting the call. Furthermore, Hahn recently spoke about how Lopez is really forcing the issue. Lopez himself also said a couple days ago how he feels he is ready for the MLB and how it’s getting hard to stay patient in Triple-A. Why is Hahn still waiting until the end of next week to call him up? Apparently he didn’t want to start him off at Fenway park or against the Houston Astros.

Take Hahn’s quote about getting tickets for Friday for what it’s worth, but it sounds like the Reynaldo Lopez era is set to officially take off on the South Side.

 

 

 

Bears Credit The Rapid Progress of Mitch Trubisky To Vic Fangio

By
Erik Lambert
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matt nagy

The men who get the most credit for whether a quarterback becomes an NFL success are the obvious ones:  the head coach, the offensive coordinator and the quarterbacks coach. They are most directly responsible for how he approaches learning the pro game, so this makes sense. However, it’s also a bit short-sighted. One man who could end up being just as vital to the Mitch Trubisky development for the Bears? That would be defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

It was a minor surprise when offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains credited his counterpart with helping to accelerate Trubisky’s ability to absorb the speed and complexities of the NFL level. He quoted to Adam Jahn of Chicago Sun-Times and others how exactly this is such a benefit.

By all accounts, Trubisky remains a work in progress. He still has the occasional bobbled snap, and where he looks for his keys before the snap is a point of emphasis. But Loggains believes facing Fangio’s defense daily has led to growth.

“Coach Fangio does a great job and runs more coverages than anyone in the NFL,” Loggains said. “To see him get exposure to all that and be able to get as many reps as he’s gotten has been tremendous.”

What’s even more encouraging beyond that is the fact that Trubisky continues to see these coverages and still has just one documented interception in practice.

History shows practicing against good defenses helps

People don’t often mention how valuable practicing against good defenses can help the effectiveness of a quarterback. There are actually plenty of example of an average quarterback having a great year when given that challenge. Brad Johnson had his career best season with the Buccaneers in 2002. Jim McMahon went to his only Pro Bowl in 1985 with the Bears. Terry Bradshaw is a Hall of Famer having played across from that Steel Curtain unit in the 1970s.

Sit back and wonder how great Tom Brady would be if he didn’t have the defensive mastery of Bill Belichick to practice against every single day. It’s a fair question. The two highest-rated seasons of Brett Favre’s career were years his team boasted a top 10 defense. This is something that can’t be overstated. Having Fangio isn’t just good for the Bears hopes on defense. He can also do so much to help solve their quarterback issues once and for all.

The rest will be up to Trubisky himself.

Chicago Bears 2017 Schedule Does Have Hidden Advantage To It

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears 2017 schedule

One thing that can sometimes be understated is how taxing travel can be on NFL teams during a season. Even with first class accommodations the human body struggles to adjust to constantly changing its internal clock goes from east coast to west coast and back again. So it stands to reason that the less a team has to travel, the greater their odds of success right? At least that should be the hope with the Chicago Bears 2017 schedule.

For the second-straight season the team is going to have one of the lightest travel plans in the league. According to Dan Hanzus of NFL.com only four teams will log fewer miles on their road trips than them. Meanwhile the poor L.A. Rams will be conducting their personal world tour, once again ranking first on the list, though its almost 5,000 miles less than last year. So that’s something.

  • 1. Los Angeles Rams – 32,600
  • 2. Oakland Raiders – 30,899
  • 3. Arizona Cardinals – 30,035
  • 4. Miami Dolphins – 27,520
  • 5. Los Angeles Chargers – 26,134
  • 6. Jacksonville Jaguars – 24,522
  • 7. Seattle Seahawks – 24,121
  • 8. San Francisco 49ers – 24,092
  • 9. New York Giants – 21,833
  • 10. New Orleans Saints – 20,968
  • 11. Washington Redskins – 20,762
  • 12. Philadelphia Eagles – 20,227
  • 13. Denver Broncos – 18,842
  • 14. Houston Texans – 18,546
  • 15. Dallas Cowboys – 18,084
  • 16. Baltimore Ravens – 18,055
  • 17. New England Patriots – 17,830
  • 18. New York Jets – 16,483
  • 19. Cleveland Browns – 16,386
  • 20. Kansas City Chiefs – 14,671
  • 21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 13,683
  • 22. Buffalo Bills – 13,272
  • 23. Tennessee Titans – 13,048
  • 24. Atlanta Falcons – 11,687
  • 25. Indianapolis Colts – 11,236
  • 26. Minnesota Vikings – 10,460
  • 27. Carolina Panthers – 9,808
  • 28. Chicago Bears – 8,318
  • 29. Detroit Lions – 8,218
  • 30. Green Bay Packers – 8,074
  • 31. Cincinnati Bengals – 7,662
  • 32. Pittsburgh Steelers – 6,694

Does lighter travel lead to greater success?

Of course the more studious readers to state that the Bears were terrible last year despite an easy travel schedule. This is true. However, one could easily counter that was mitigated by a near-NFL record number of injuries. This includes losing their top two quarterbacks of the season. Even limited travelling won’t save a team at that point.

The question becomes does flying and driving less lead to success? Well here’s an interesting nugget. In 2016 of the top 12 teams who traveled the most distance, four of them managed to make the playoffs and one reached a conference championship. Of the top 12 teams who traveled the least distance? Six made the playoffs and two were in the conference championship.

The furthest the Bears have to travel this year will be their rematch with the Buccaneers down in Tampa at 1,170 miles each way. Aside from that it’s a fairly short plane ride everywhere else. Here’s hoping the favorable odds go their way.

John Buccigross ‘Optimistic’ The NHL Will Come Back To ESPN

By
Matt Barbato
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Plenty of hockey fans who watch ESPN idolize John Buccigross as one of the only hockey analysts left standing at The Worldwide Leader in Sports. But Buccigross’ latest comments about the NHL returning to ESPN’s airwaves seem to show some unawareness.

Buccigross oozed confidence that the NHL will be back on ESPN soon, which is hard to believe after it laid off nearly every full-time reporter covering the sport for the network.

“I’m real optimistic that we’ll be a part of the NHL plan next time,” Buccigross told BSN Denver. “I’m not in the negotiations or decisions, but the negotiations open up in two years, and the (NBC) deal ends in three. There’s no doubt ESPN (was) very aggressive last time trying to get the package, and we’ll be very aggressive this time.. and I feel good about our chances to get some.. to have games in the next package.”

It’s important to keep in mind Buccigross isn’t saying ESPN will seize all television rights for the NHL. And no offense to the sport itself, ESPN really shouldn’t spend too much on an NHL package. Most of their staff layoffs were a result of paying outrageous amounts of money to the NFL, MLB and NBA for television rights. The last thing ESPN needs to do is spend an exorbitant amount on the least popular of the “Big 4” American sports.

But even if ESPN made a run at airing some hockey games from time to time, wouldn’t the recent batch of layoffs speak volumes to the league? Sure, these negotiations are two or three years down the road. But the network’s stance on the NHL should be abundantly clear after it showed the door to numerous respected reporters such as Pierre LeBrun, Scott Burnside, Joe McDonald and Craig Custance.

The ESPN layoffs were not limited to just the NHL side of operations. But the network should prove it is actually invested in covering and discussing the sport — something NBC has kind of done effectively — before the NHL commits to having its games aired.

Then again, we are talking about the NHL. If Gary Bettman is still hanging around, he’ll likely take whatever offer he can get. In fact, bringing the NHL back to ESPN might be one of his lasting memories as commissioner as he approaches the age of 70.

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