Who knows what is to come from the NFL season? But there is a schedule now and here are my thoughts.

Bears.

• Media members used to criticize the schedule release as an event with the tired mantra, “We already knew the opponents!” But the schedule release, for many fans, sets their travel agenda for the fall. And with road games in Atlanta, Charlotte, LA, Nashville and Jacksonville, you better believe Bears fans will be traversing the country if fans are allowed in these buildings this season.
• The Masters is scheduled for 11/12 – 11/15. And for some reason, I was gifted the Bears playing on Monday Night Football that week. I haven’t missed a Bears game since 2005. And I wouldn’t have missed the game that Sunday. But man, it would have been difficult to keep my eyes on a football game as the leaders made their way to the 12th tee box. (I’ll manage with the US Open at Winged Foot in September.)
• Things I love about this schedule:
  • At Lions, home Giants to start. It’s hard to predict how good teams will be but neither of these teams is gonna be any good defensively. It’s a great opportunity for the offense to get off to a decent start.
  • Week 11 bye. Teams aren’t going to need the bye early this year because there’s not going to be an intense preseason period. Having the bye in late-November should allow the Bears to rev up for the stretch run.
  • At Jaguars, home Packers to finish. Jacksonville should be one of the worst teams in the league and the Bears seemingly finish on the road every single year; usually at Minnesota. Nice to finish at Soldier.
  • The Texans coming to Chicago on 12/13. Warm weather, inside team coming to Chicago in mid-December should play in the Bears’ favor.

Read More …

Stephanie Tracy used to come down those steps at Josie Woods, every Bears Sunday, with snacks. No, she didn’t go buy some fucking mint Milano’s at the bodega. She brought homemade cookies and cakes and brownies. Why? Because she’s one of the best dessert chefs in the world, according to Because I Said So Magazine. She’s also one of my favorite human beings on the planet.

She received her culinary degree at the Institute of Culinary Education and previously worked professionally as a pastry cook at Gramercy Tavern in New York City. The Cookie Revolution is a cookie-of-the-month club that offers unique cookie varieties every month. Information on the latest cookie offering can be found at www.cookierevolution.com or on Instagram @cookie.revolution. Anyone interested in being added to the monthly email list should send a note to cookierevolution@gmail.com.

DBB: You have a company – The Cookie Revolution – and you produce something called “The Crack Cookie”. It is the greatest cookie I’ve ever had. So who is “The Crack Cookie” when it comes to the Chicago Bears? Who is that player or coach or organization-adjacent individual you just can’t get enough of?

Steph: When I was a kid, that would have been definitely been “Refrigerator” Perry.  I know Walter Payton seems like the obvious answer (his nickname is “Sweetness” after all), but, as a 6-7 year old kid during the 1985 season, I was all about The Fridge.  I played my 45 of The Super Bowl Shuffle all the time.  We even watched he Super Bowl Shuffle video in school.  Perry was big and powerful, but also friendly and fun, and I was drawn to that.  At the time, I probably had no real understanding of what was happening in the game and The Fridge’s regular role, but I was aware of the awesomeness of his famous touchdown.  The team was exciting, and The Fridge encapsulated all of that for me.

As an adult, it is all about Devin Hester.  He was so exciting but also unpredictable.  You had no idea what he was going to do when he got his hands on the ball, and that’s why you never wanted to miss a Hester return.  His movements were so unplanned and erratic that, as a spectator, you would feel such intense anxiety watching him zigging and zagging across the field.  Then he would clear the last real defensive threat and that anxiety would turn into exhilaration.  He was so amazing and the game was so thrilling when he played!

DBB: We’ve been watching the Bears together in bars for 15 years plus. I’ve thought a lot about what it might be like if we can’t gather in bars and watch this team in the fall. Have you thought about it? What do you think the experience will be like? What would you miss?

Steph: I have definitely thought about it. 

Read More …

About three months ago, back when bars existed, I was spouting off at my local about something. Why I now love the idea of a London NFL franchise. Why Lee Trevino is underrated historically. Why Korean women dominate the LPGA but Korean men are non-existent on the men’s tour. (I think it’s about size and that’s why Sungjae Im is breaking through.) A friend of mine said, “You should have a sports radio show.”

I responded how I always respond.

“Find me the market where I can talk exclusively about football and golf and I’m in.” (I’ve narrowed these markets down to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and the greater Pinehurst, North Carolina metropolitan area.)

I then went into my routine refrain. I talked about Marc Silverman. Silvy of Waddle & Silvy.

Before a Long Time, There’s a First Time.

I remember when Waddle & Silvy started.

It was about two years after DBB did. I was working a desk job, as the Associate General Manager of the Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway (a job I was TERRIBLE at), and I gave their show a shot because Tom Waddle was my favorite player growing up. To that point in my life I had only listened to one sports station (WFAN in NY) and truly only one show (Mike and the Mad Dog). But if I was going to do this blog thing seriously, I needed to know what was being discussed in Chicago. So why not listen to Waddle and this other guy?

I had never heard of Marc Silverman.

Then I heard him.

The first thing that stood out to me was the voice. It was like Malört pouring through my computer speakers. I didn’t feel like I was in Manhattan listening to a show in Chicago. I felt like I was in Chicago, sitting on my favorite bar stool at Pippin’s, listening to a guy from Skokie tell me why I was wrong about everything. The accent lent an authenticity to the opinion. It commanded attention.

The second thing, the more important thing, was the passion. And still to this day, I’m mesmerized by it. Cubs. Bulls. Blackhawks. Bears. The entire year, every season, every team. What always amazed me about Mike and the Dog was their ability to yell and scream about a decision made by the Mets manager in the fourth inning of a ballgame in May. It was obvious from that first listen that Silvy was the same. This wasn’t produced rage. It wasn’t performance. It was authentic passion. Silvy gave a shit.

And sports radio, good local sports radio, is all about giving a shit. The airwaves are littered with folks who take a third-person approach to sports, treating ballgames as comic fodder. They all think they’re Norm Macdonald. (They’re not.) They all wanna be Howard Stern. (Ain’t happening.) Those of us who truly love sports know what it means to give a shit.

Emotionally investing is hard. Emotionally investing in a public forum is even harder. It’s an art form. And Marc Silverman is a master.

That Thing He Did.

One weekday.

I have no idea what year.

I have no idea why I wasn’t at some job.

I was walking around, listening to Fiddler on the Roof, I’m sure, debating which bar stool to plop my ass down on for the afternoon.

I chose Spring Lounge. In those days, I chose Spring Lounge a lot.

Read More …

This column does not seek to project the impact these players will have long-term.

This column seems to project the impact these players will have this coming season, assuming the summer’s off-season program will be truncated or non-existent.

(7) Arlington Hambright, G

An athletic freak but a true offensive line project. The work/coaching he’d require to get on the field in 2020 simply won’t be available this summer. If he plays a snap during the regular season, something has gone terribly wrong.

But the Bears should put him on the roster. And they should sell the jerseys on the homepage of their website.

(6) Lachavious Simmons, G

Simmons gets the nod over Hambright for two reasons: (1) he’s got a bit of mauler in him and (2) his transition to guard at the next level will be easier. Again, it’s unlikely Simmons plays a down this season. But it’s more likely for him than Hambright.

(5) Trevis Gipson, Edge

The raw talent is there but Gipson’s 2020 role will almost assuredly be limited to sub-down, pass rushing situations. And with Mack and Quinn WELL ahead of him in the pecking order, the Bears would be happy if Gipson saw limited defensive snaps this season, while making his presence felt on special teams.

(4) Kindle Vildor, CB

Buster Skrine is still the starting slot corner. But it wouldn’t surprise me to see Vildor backing up that role very early on in his career. My guess is Vildor surprises many and is active on most game days.

(3) Cole Kmet, TE

There’s been a lot of talk about tight ends struggling to assimilate to the NFL. And big, physical players like Kmet are asked to do a lot more than stand up, run fast and catch passes.

Jason Witten had 35 catches his rookie season. Kyle Rudolph had 26. Kmet, especially at his position, could use a full summer slate of practices and preseason games. If he doesn’t get it, hard to think he’ll be be more than a 30-35 catch, 400 yard, 4-5 touchdown player in his rookie campaign.

But I think that’d be a brilliant sign for his future.

Read More …

12:06 PM ET

I have already opened my second Montauk Summer Ale in the war room. This does not bode well for the diary as a whole. These things are delicious, but they’re also 5.6% alcohol and I’m an Amstel Light/Guinness man. The Bears don’t have a fourth round pick so it’s probably going to be a while before I write something football relevant in this diary.

12:08 PM ET

Anybody else getting a shitload of emails from the Chicago Reader these days? Like every ten minutes. My entire inbox has become emails from the Reader and the DNC and I never read a word from either.

12:16 PM ET

Just saw a commercial for drug called Ilumya. The voiceover said “do not take Ilumya if you’re allergic to Ilumya”. And we wonder why the president thinks drinking Febreze cures pneumonia.

12:23 PM ET

Sarah’s nephew just walked into the war room and now the war room smells like Bob Marley’s tour bus. #SmokinDatReefer

12:34 PM ET

Third beer. Trouble arising. Like the half hour gap between beers but I feel it unsustainable.

12:38 PM ET

This Ben Bartch character apparently drank a disgusting smoothie every morning to gain 50 pounds in a year and move from tight end to tackle. (The fucking thing had peanut butter and Gatorade in it.) I have a fool proof method to gain 50 pounds. Drink a shitload of beer, eat a ton of Chinese food, and sit around. No smoothie needed. My brother Chris did this throughout his 20s and had to get lap band surgery in his 40s.

12:50 PM ET

Every commercial now:

“Our product always liked you. And now, in these uncertain times, we like you even more. So stay safe, stay home and Polly-O String Cheese will be there with you.”

12:53 PM ET

Chris Ballard takes Jacob Eason in Indy. What I was told about Eason: “he’s an incredible turd”. Teams absolutely despised him when they had their meetings. But that talent is worth the gamble on day three.

1:01 PM ET

ESPN finally reported the Eason pick and apparently Chris Ballard lives in an Applebee’s. (I am jealous.)

1:07 PM ET

Beer four. Pacing is terrific.

1:18 PM ET

I’m sitting here hoping Ryan Pace trades up and takes Jake Fromm. I believe in the kid. Always have. Think he’s going to be in NFL QB rooms for a long time.

I’m also sitting here putting off a piss for like 20 minutes because I don’t feel like standing up.

1:28 PM ET

Someone named Luke Bryan is singing a shitty country music song now, for some reason.

An actual lyric. “She was like ‘Come here boy, I wanna dance’. Before I said a word she was taking my hand.”

• Dance and hand don’t rhyme.
• Someone has to explain to these country music people that every single interaction they have with another human being is not worthy subject matter for a song.

Read More …

On Friday night, I floated the idea of the Bears trading back in the second round to a friend of mine – a scout for another team in the NFC. He quickly shot back, “Pace shouldn’t back up too far. After about 65, there’s a big drop-off in this class.”

This is the kind of things scouts love to say.

Is it true? Who the hell knows? But what is important is the perception of its truth. If my scout friend believes the 2020 NFL Draft was 65 players deep, so does his organization. If his organization believes that, rest assured it is common throughout the league.

Thus, there was not much jockeying for position in the first and second rounds this year. Teams believed they would get a terrific prospect no matter where they selected. Maybe Ryan Pace had offers, maybe he didn’t. We won’t know and he won’t tell us. And now, it doesn’t matter.

What matters is how Pace approached the second round. His two selections – Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet and Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson – were not reaches. They were not gambles on potential, on athletic ability. They were two of the steadiest, sturdiest prospects in the whole of this draft. Immediately after their selection, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah pronounced, “No first-round pick for the Bears but I think you can argue they got two first-round players.” Every relevant person I texted with Friday night seemed to echo this sentiment.

These are the kinds of picks a team confidently makes when they think they are close. And the Bears are close, especially with Nick Foles’ professionalism taking over under center. The club had needs for September: defensive back, interior offensive line, tight end, speed outside. They addressed two of them. Simple as that. Kmet and Johnson will expected to contribute/start immediately. I’ll state that again. Kmet and Johnson will expected to contribute/start immediately.

Read More …

DBB will be on Twitter for the duration of these rounds (right rail, @DaBearsBlog) and will have a full report on the day’s activity up tomorrow in this space.

“No first round pick for the Bears but I think you can argue they got two first round players”. –@MoveTheSticks

— DaBearsBlog (@dabearsblog) April 25, 2020

Listen, I say the same thing every year.

I don’t criticize or applaud the selection. I criticize or applaud the approach. The position is WAY more important than the player. The positions show the direction of the organization. The player…is a coin flip. Every player taken. Coin. Flip.

The Bears needed a tight end. They got the best one in this draft.