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Mike Glennon Says Bears Are His Team But This Says Otherwise

By
Erik Lambert
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mitch trubisky starting job

The Mike Glennon Mitch Trubisky debate is something that is going to envelop the entire Chicago Bears fan base for the next seven months. For 2017 though the veteran Glennon indicated several times during his first press conference at Organized Team Activities that the team had not withdrawn their promise that it was his show for this year. Drafting Trubisky had not changed that. It would be Glennon’s show.

Understandable in its outlay. Glennon of course has a much greater experience advantage and the Bears didn’t pay him $18.5 million in guaranteed money to sit on the bench. They promised him an opportunity and he’s getting it. GM Ryan Pace just wasn’t willing to mortgage his and the teams’ future on a former backup quarterback. The drafting of Trubisky was meant to add depth and competition.

However, there is reason to think that the Bears aren’t holding their breath on Glennon being anything more than a placeholder.

Mike Glennon Mitch Trubisky practice reps drop big hint

Initial impressions out of practice offer some interesting nuggets. The play of receivers Cameron Meredith and Kendall Wright stood out. Leonard Floyd looked bigger and stronger. Rookie tight end Adam Shaheen continued his string of impressive practices. The most interesting tidbit though was saved for the quarterbacks. Specifically the division of reps between Glennon and Trubisky.

Word is that Trubisky and Glennon are dead even in practice with how many snaps they’re getting with some believing that the rookie might even be getting a few extra. Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains tried to explain this dilemma to ESPN recently.

“We have to be really smart with our plan and how we practice, because it’s not just one guy, it’s two guys [Glennon and Trubisky], and there’s [backups] Mark [Sanchez] and there’s Connor [Shaw],” Loggains said on Friday. “So we need to make sure that we’re getting everyone ready to play … because there’s three new faces and only one guy [Shaw] that was in the room last year.”

 

Few things can tell a greater story for how a team really feels about a player than how many reps he gets in practice. The fact that Trubisky might be getting as many or more snaps than Glennon is a huge hint from the team brass about where their expectations lay. If they were really behind the veteran like he says, then common sense dictates he gets the majority of the reps. This is after all a new offense he’s walking into. If he’s going to be effective like they hope he’d need every one.

Instead they seem dead set on developing Trubisky as fast as possible. This shouldn’t be a big surprise. Pace did trade up in the draft to get him. Clearly the GM has a strong belief that he can be the guy. If nothing else this sends a clear enough message. The 2017 season may belong to Glennon, but beyond that? Best not to hold his breath.

Kendall Wright Is Already Making The Bears Glad They Signed Him

By
Erik Lambert
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kendall wright dowell loggains

People don’t realize how strong the Kendall Wright Dowell Loggains connection really was. It’s without a doubt the biggest reason the free agent receiver signed with Chicago back in March. Why? If one were to do their homework they’d notice that Wright had by far the most productive stretch of his NFL career when Loggains was offensive coordinator in Tennessee.

Loggains took over that job on November 26th of 2012. From there the two would be together for a total of 20 games. In that time Wright would catch 110 passes for 1,267 yards. That averages out to 5.5 catches and 63.35 yards per game. For a comparison that’s the same productivity level put up by Mike Wallace last season. Not too bad.

The feeling is that Wright, with his particular skill set is a solid fit for what Loggains wants from his receivers. Given the early word out of organized team activities, it’s easy to see why.

Kendall Wright Dowell Loggains combo is already dominating

Remember that brief stretch last year where Josh Bellamy was turning into a force? Before the whole dropping every other pass deal, of course. He made a number of surprisingly good plays. Well keep in mind that Wright is a more talented version of Bellamy. It’s easy to forget he’s a former first round pick. According to Jeremy Stoltz of Bear Report, he looked every bit like one during the second OTA of the offseason.

“The MVP of practice today was WR Kendall Wright, who was unstoppable for most of the day working with the first team alongside Markus Wheaton and Cameron Meredith.

On the second snap of 7-on-7 drills, Wright ran a 15-yard out route and made a tiptoe sideline catch on a pass from Glennon. Later, Wright made a diving catch on a slant pattern, beating CB Cre’Von LeBlanc on an inside move.

He then made an impressive grab in traffic on an intermediate crossing route, snatching the pass out in front of him, and then easily beat CB Bryce Callahan on a skinny post, creating instant separation out of his break. At the end of practice, Wright found open area near the sideline after Trubisky bought time with his feet and made the easy catch before falling out of bounds.

Wright was not limited to slot duty and made catches from every spot on the field. He showed immediate chemistry with Glennon, using his outstanding quickness and burst to consistently make the secondary look silly.”

He wasn’t alone

Granted, this is practicing in shorts. It’s noted that the pads haven’t even gone on yet. Even so, this is a welcome sign that Wright hasn’t missed a beat despite being away from Loggains for three years. The best part is he wasn’t the only one who showed up ready to play. Word is Cameron Meredith, the teams’ surprise 2016 sensation arrived for practice in shape and sharper than ever in his mechanics.

Even Kevin White received praise from Mike Glennon for looking good during the first practice. It’s early and way too soon to let hopes get carried away. Still, history shows that Kendall Wright loves the offense Dowell Loggains runs. If that holds true, then the Bears should see good production out of him this year.

Kyle Schwarber Destroys First HR To Sheffield Ave Since 2014

By
Aldo Soto
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Kyle Schwarber beating the shift by blasting a rocket to Sheffield Avenue. Fun fact, it’s the first home run to reach Sheffield since the Chicago Cubs renovated the bleachers.

Just a monster shot by Schwarber, who was back in the lineup against the San Francisco Giants after getting an off day on Monday.

And then Jason Heyward homered to put the Cubs up 2-0.

Kenny Smith Throws Serious Shade At Michael Jordan & ’90s Bulls

By
Matt Peck
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kenny smith rockets beat michael jordan bulls

It’s one of the great unanswerable sports questions in history: if Michael Jordan hadn’t retired following the death of his father in 1993, would the Bulls have won 8 straight NBA championships?

Kenny “The Jet” Smith says no. He believes his Houston Rockets team led by Hakeem Olajuwon would’ve beaten the Bulls – with Jordan – had they made it to the 1994 or 1995 NBA Finals.

Smith, now an NBA analyst for TNT, spent some time chatting with Brandon Robinson of Scoop B Radio over the weekend.

Here’s what he had to say about the hypothetical matchup:

“Oh we would’ve beat them. And actually everyone forgets [Jordan] was playing the second year, he was wearing No. 45 and the team they lost to, the Orlando Magic, we swept them. We were that much better than them that year, [and] they lost to them.” – Kenny Smith

Who Takes It?

Smith’s right, at least about a few things. Bulls fans tend to forget that Jordan’s comeback happened late in the ’94-95 season, not the ’95-96 season that saw a record 72 wins and a Finals triumph over Seattle. In the 1995 playoffs, Jordan and the Bulls beat Charlotte in the opening round but fell to Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway’s Magic in the conference semifinals. Smith’s Rockets swept Orlando in the Finals for their second straight title.

As for a hypothetical matchup in ’94? That’s harder to judge. Without Jordan, Scottie Pippen led the Bulls all the way to a conference semifinals Game 7 against Patrick Ewing’s Knicks. New York won Game 7, beat the Pacers to win the East and fell to the Rockets in Game 7 of the Finals. If Jordan was there, it’s very possible – almost likely – the Bulls get past New York and Indiana to meet Houston in the Finals. But Smith advised NBA fans to check the stats from Bulls-Rockets games back in the Jordan era.

“They didn’t match up well with us during those years that they were actually winning championships…We were 8-2 against them during those years. We matched up well with them. We wouldn’t have been scared I tell you that much.” – Kenny Smith

Not Exactly

Here’s where Smith’s testimony gets fuzzy. What did he mean by “those years”? Yes, the Rockets did do well against the Bulls in the early ’90s. But his numbers are off. At no point during Smith’s tenure with Houston (’90-96) did they have an 8-2 stretch against the Bulls with or without Jordan. During the first threepeat years, the Rockets went 5-1 against Chicago but never made it out of the West to face them in the Finals. Then in four games during Jordan’s retirement from ’93-95, the Bulls and Rockets split 2-2.

In the ’95-96 season – Smith’s last with Houston – the Bulls went 2-0 against them, winning the games by a combined 25 points. So even if Houston somehow beat Seattle (who swept the Rockets in the semis) and Utah to reach the Finals, there’s no way they would’ve been favored over the 72-win Bulls.

Catch Smith’s full interview with Scoop B Radio below:

We’ll never know who would’ve come out on top in any of these hypothetical Bulls-Rockets Finals matchups from ’94-96. It’s a shame that arguably the two best teams of the decade never faced one another to decide who truly ruled that era of the NBA.

(Speaking from a slightly biased angle, I think we all can agree which team ruled the ’90s.)

Ian Happ Needs To Be Playing Everyday For The Cubs

By
Sean Sears
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Well, Ian Happ is making me look real dumb. Like really dumb. On the latest episode of the 312 podcast, which was recorded less than 24 hours after I write this, I said Ian Happ was not an elite prospect. I explained that he was a solid player, but did not have the superstar potential that other Cubs prospects have been labeled during the rebuild.

While that claim isn’t completely useless, it might as well be because Happ has continued to crush the ball – and do more than homer like I implied in the podcast.

Happ is currently slashing .357/.455/.786 with 2 home runs, 5 RBI, and 8 runs scored since being called up just 10 days ago. And with his switching-hitting power numbers, Happ profiles well directly behind Rizzo in the fourth or fifth spot in the lineup. Of course, this is a small sample size and Happ will eventually cool off, but right now the Cubs need him apart of the everyday lineup.

Perfect example was last night, as the Cubs began to mount a comeback against the Giants. After Javier Baez smacked a two-run homer in the bottom of the 8th, Ian Happ came into the game as a pinch hitter and clubbed his first Major-League triple. Ben Zobrist would bring him home shortly after with two-run-dinger of his own, bringing the Cubs within two runs of tying the game. Of course, the Cubs did end up losing that game, but it was Happ that helped ignite the offense while flashing his astonishing bat speed.

And while the strike outs are obvious, Happ has gone down on strikes nine times so far, however he has shown patience at the plate – walking five times. On top of this, his fielding has been unorthodox and awkward looking in moments, but he is making all the plays necessary of a center fielder. If his defense can continue to improve, a reasonable request for a 22-year-old player as versatile as Happ, it’s easy to envision Maddon penciling in his name into the lineup for years to come.

Just look at that stroke, it’s a thing of beauty.

The difficult part about this scenario is that the only real opening on the Cubs roster is center field. With Jason Heyward and Kyle Schwarber manning the corner outfield spots, and with both Ben Zobrist and Javier Baez splitting time at second, the only way the Cubs can keep Happ in the everyday lineup is to play him over Albert Almora Jr. and Jon Jay.

Neither Jay or Almora have gasped the role of starter to start the season, but the argument could be made that Almora has not been given a fair shake at starting everyday. Part of that has to do with Almora’s struggles against right-handed pitchers, currently batting .200 with 11 strikeouts against rightys. Jay has looked great so far this season at the plate, slashing .321/.418/.410 through 37 games in his first season with the Cubs, however he has already costed the Cubs four runs according to Fangraphs’ defensive runs saved metric and provides almost no power at the plate.

If Happ keeps producing the type of offense he has in his first week with the Cubs, while showing he can do a competent job in center, there is no reason not to keep the 22-year-old out of the lineup for the remainder of the 2017 season. Even if it makes me look stupid.

A Lonely Few Keep Arguing To Beware The Bears Receiving Corps

By
Erik Lambert
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bears receiving corps

It’s easy enough to understand why most media outlets are panning the Chicago Bears receiving corps at the moment. In the space of two off-seasons they’ve lost every major proven asset in their passing game. Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett were traded. Alshon Jeffery left via free agency and Eddie Royal was cut. Granted, those moves were made with logical reasoning. Nonetheless it’s left things in a thick cloud of uncertainty.

Often when things just aren’t known, it’s automatically assumed they’re bad. Experts left and right proclaim that 2017 will be a low point for the Bears passing game. Will it though? Quietly GM Ryan Pace has reassembled the teams personnel. Though they have no stars at this point, there is plenty of youth, athleticism and speed.

In fact a number of sources haven’t been shy in their praise of what this group could potentially be.

Bears receiving corps success rests on health

Much of the anticipation centers around the two men at the top. Former first round pick Kevin White and surprising second-year standout Cameron Meredith. Both showed flashes of being really good football players in 2016. According to Pro Football Focus, White was excellent during his brief four-game stint before succumbing to a broken leg. Meredith posted 888 yards on 66 catches.

His progress is remarkable considering he was an undrafted free agent in 2015. Something new quarterback Mike Glennon wasted no time pointing out. Then there’s free agent addition Markus Wheaton. Considered a disappointment in Pittsburgh, he nonetheless had some really good performances. His stats showed steady progression before an injury sidelined him early last year as well. The speed he brings to the table is no joke.

As is often the case, the key to determining just how good this group can be is health. Injuries have really hampered Chicago the past two years at the position. With a stout offensive line and Jordan Howard running the football, the odds are favorable that they won’t have to worry about double coverage too often. This creates a prime atmosphere for guys to make big plays.

Talent isn’t really the question here. It’s health and progression. Pace felt strongly enough about this group to not overpay Jeffery to stay. Was it misguided? Most would love you to think so. Truth be told it won’t become clear for another four months or so. Until then it’s all estimation and guesswork. History proves that is rarely a wise venture.

Dream Job Alert: The “Cubs Network” Is Officially Coming

By
Sports Mockery
-

Rumors have swirled for a while about the Chicago Cubs forming their own private cable network and it’s safe to say those rumors are no longer speculation. During a private tour with the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs President of Business Operations confirmed that the front office has taken drastic steps to make it a reality.

Crane Kenney told reporters that the third floor of the new plaza that was recently built represents “Cubs 3.0” which will be the content engine for the highly anticipated network.

The third floor, Kenney said, represents Cubs 3.0. Its future use remains a mystery, though it might provide staff space for the team’s network. Make no mistake, Kenney confirmed that the Cubs will create their own network in 2020, with a studio slated for the Mueller Building at 3721 N. Clark.

Kenney called the Cubs a future “content engine,” pointing to a video of Willson Contreras playing catch with a young fan in the stands during Friday’s rain delay that has garnered 1.9 million views on the Cubs’ Facebook page.

A potential relationship with Notre Dame, Kenney’s alma mater, would yield non-summer programming. And don’t forget Wrigley will host Northwestern football games beginning in 2020 and the Cubs are aiming to create an annual bowl game. Entertainment vehicles and revenue streams galore.

Image result for wrigley field plaza

The Cubs are expected to move on from Comcast after their TV contract is up in 2019. Kenney revealed that previously on the radio.

“2019 is our last year with Comcast, so we’ll move over and launch our own channel in 2020,” Kenney said on the “Mully & Hanley” morning show.

But wait… there’s more. Kenney also said that the fourth, fifth and six floors of the new plaza will be where employees for the network could land their dream job.

The fourth, fifth and sixth floors contain the kind of employee perks that would make you polish your resume. The baseball ops floor (no photographs, per a Kenney request) features a horseshoe-shaped furnishing with swivel chairs facing five TV screens — an ideal spot for Theo Epstein’s crew to watch road games.

The top floor was designed so Kenney can attract the best and the brightest to a front office that has been beefed up to around 400.

With Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” playing in the background, Kenney pointed to a group of young employees: “I’m recruiting against Facebook, Twitter, YouTube … the 18-20 other content businesses in our city. How do we recruit these millennials who have a lot of options? You have to create a really cool work space.”

Could you imagine working there? Better polish your resume.

As exciting as “The Cubs Network” sounds, there are a lot of questions that will need to be answered.

Will this mean people will have to pay extra money to watch Cubs games, on top of their current cable package?

The answer to that is likely no if the Cubs can strike a deal with providers to make it part of their list of channels, but there’s no way to be sure of that now.

Does this mean Cubs content will run 24/7, on the “Cubs channel,” essentially giving fans 24/7 access to content from the team?

The answer to that is likely yes. You can expect the channel to share other investor interests like football games and concerts that take place at Wrigley Field as well.

Can I work for this company?

Seriously….

Coming in 2020.

Here’s How Dominant Kyle Long and Josh Sitton Were Together In 2016

By
Erik Lambert
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kyle long and josh sitton

One of the reasons the Chicago Bears likely felt so confident in literally replacing their entire quarterback roster was their offensive line. Collectively it allowed just 28 sacks in 2016. An impressive number considered they had to protect three different passes over the course of 16 games. By far the biggest reason for this success were guards Kyle Long and Josh Sitton.

It was considered a minor coup when Chicago was able to sign Sitton so late into free agency last year after the Green Bay Packers inexplicably cut him. It’s not every day a team can land a Pro Bowler like that. Most believed that move gave the Bears one of the best interior blocking trios in the NFL along with rookie center Cody Whitehair.

The only problem people ended up having with the situation? It didn’t last long enough.

Kyle Long and Josh Sitton were dominant together

Injuries were a persistent problem for the pair last year. Long missed eight games with a nasty ankle problem. Sitton missed four with various ailments as well. It was an all too brief showing of how good they could be together. According to Pro Football Focus, the possibilities are potentially great.

Allowing just one hit on the quarterback in six games? That is pretty impressive stuff right there. Especially considering both men were banged up for a good part of that stretch. Imagine how much better they might be if and when they can both get on the field healthy. Long is still rehabbing his surgically repaired ankle. He should be ready for the reason. Sitton by all accounts is a full go for training camp.

Experts believe good interior blocking is a big key to success for veteran quarterback Mike Glennon. If he wants to fulfill his dream to become a long-term NFL starter then having those two in front of him may be the key.

Joe Maddon’s Gifts For 1,000 Career Wins Fit Him Perfectly

By
Gus
-

Before last night’s game against the San Francisco Giants, a brief ceremony was held to commemorate Cubs manager Joe Maddon’s 1,000th career win. Maddon reached the 1,000 win mark a week ago during a 9-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds and hilariously showed up to his post game press conference with a very large glass of wine which he referred to as “big smooth.”

After the pre-game ceremony last night, it appears Maddon won’t run out of wine anytime soon.

Maddon was presented with a ridiculousy large bottle of what appears to be wine or champagne. Since I’m not really a fan of either beverage, I’ll just say it’s wine ok? The bottle was presented by a representative from Binny’s Beverage Depot which Maddon happens to be a spokesman for as well.

Maddon, a noted connoisseur of wine, uses wine instead of money when he is collecting fines from players for minor infractions throughout the course of the season. He also uses wine to celebrate his players when they reach certain milestones or just make great plays in the field (He gave Addison Russell a bottle last August for making a sparkling defensive play.)

The bottles he gives (and receives) pale in comparison to the bottle he got last night.

A (major) toast to the coach! Congrats on 1000 wins! 🍾🥂

A post shared by Binny's Beverage Depot (@binnysbev) on

In addition to this stupid big bottle of wine, Maddon was also presented with a pretty sweet watch from a company called Original Grain.

Cheers to that time Joe Maddon won 1,000 games! 🍾⌚️

A post shared by cubs (@cubs) on

The inscription on the front of the box reads,

“Presented to Joe Maddon/1,000th win as manager/Wrigley Field – May 16, 2017/Cubs 9 Reds 5”

I know I’m not the only one who is wondering just how long it will take Maddon to drink that entire bottle. I’d like to see him roll that bad boy into the Cubs infamous “party room” where the team congregates after each win to celebrate. I’d bet a good amount of money that the bottle probably weighs more than CJ Edwards so let’s try and keep it away from him to avoid any injuries moving forward.

Congrats on 1,000 wins, Joe.

Check Out The Celebrities Who Are Supporting David Ross’ Bid To Win It All On Dancing With The Stars

By
Gus
-

The dance is finally over.

Last night, David Ross performed for one of the last times on Dancing With The Stars and fittingly danced to “Take Me Out To The Ballgame.” Well, it started out as “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” but quickly merged into Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock’s “It Takes Two.” Rossy must have felt comfortable dancing to popular 80’s song because he already knew all the words which he showed off during an interesting freestyle at this year’s Cubs Convention. Ross has had a magical run this season and has captured the hearts of fans across America. Even though America has fallen in love with Rossy’s dance skills, he appears to be a severe underdog to win the competition.

According to Goldderby.com, Ross has the worst odds to win the coveted “mirror ball” trophy that will be handed out on tonight’s final episode. Singer Normani Kordei is the runaway favorite to win with odds of 1/3, which translates to a 76%. Football player Rashad Jennings is next in line to win the trophy with 9/2 odds, or an 18% chance and at the very end, all the way back in the standings, is David Ross.

Last week, nobody predicted his shocking victory over Simone Biles but thanks to Cubs nation’s votes, Ross made it through. Last week, Ross had 100/1 odds of prevailing, but now he’s up to odds of 16/1, or a 6% chance of taking the Mirror Ball Trophy. I mean, it’s not like this is the first time Ross has faced insurmountable odds (Remember the whole 3-1 thing?)

Although Ross has the worst odds to win it all tonight, a ton of celebrities took to Twitter last night to throw their support behind Rossy.

Ross even got the support of some team pages as well (including his alma mater).

And of course Ross was getting the love from his former teammates.

In case you missed the performance you can check it out here.

A winner will be crowned on the two-and-a-half hour season 24 finale of Dancing with the Stars Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Let’s bring another trophy home Grandpa.

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