Have a nice weekend!

Packers at Bears to Open Season

My Thoughts:

• I hate it. The opening Sunday of NFL football is my favorite day of the entire year and if the Bears are not playing in that early window it is ruined for me. (Hopefully the Bills are home that weekend so I can make something of the whole experience. I’ll just go up there and eat the world’s best wings and drink Blue Light.)
• I hate it. Bears/Packers – and all important divisional games – should be scheduled for later in the season. None of these teams are playing their best football in September. I’ll continue fighting for the NFL to move all out of conference games to the first month of the calendar.
• I hate it. Because it means the NFL is all-in on the 2019 Chicago Bears and that means the club will be all over primetime television next season.

Reviewing Pass Interference

The league had a pass interference problem, more than any other piece of officiating. Bad pass interference calls were destroying the flow of the viewing experience and in many cases deciding game outcomes. That issue reached its peak in the NFC title game on the other side, with a no-calling putting the Rams in the Super Bowl.

Will this rule change – allowing PI to be challenged – extend games? Who cares? I can handle football games being 5 minutes longer if the calls are right. (And the networks could cut down commercials with ease and nobody would notice.) Will this rule change open the floodgates to challenging all penalties? No. Challenging a hold or a shift or something menial will be as difficult to overturn as challenging a spot. And if they allowing roughing the passer to be challenged, they’d be smart.

Just check out how video replay is working in the Premiere League. They’re getting calls right. It’s wonky, yes. Nobody is quite sure how to deal with the change in flow. But they’re getting calls right. That’s all that matters.

Jahns with Ted Phillips

You should read all of Adam Jahns’ excellent conversation with Ted Phillips. But here’s a passage that shows why Ted is good at his job and has been instrumental in bringing these Bears back:

As Pace explained the positives — from Mack’s age to him playing a “need” position to his lack of baggage — Phillips said that trading for him started to make too much sense.

“I don’t need to have four committee meetings and let’s discuss it all,” Phillips said. “That’s why you have to have the right people in place.

“You have to be decisive. It wasn’t a long, drawn-out, lengthy discussion. Once I understood it all — because [Pace] never leaves a stone unturned, he’s very thorough — and when I hear it all, it’s, ‘Go get him.’ ”

And Pace did.

Jahns will be joining me for an extended conversation (podcast) in the coming week.

Read More …

2019 will be a different year for me on Twitter.

No more insulting David Haugh’s inability to produce an interesting paragraph. No more attacking Pro Football Focus’ misinformed player grades. No more fights with Greg Gabriel, especially after he’s engaged his evening Tito’s and tonic.

Twitter brings out the worst instincts in me as a writer and person. And I’m just gonna go back to ten years ago when only booze did that.

With that states, here are my five rules for social media, sports department.

(1) Don’t Tweet during game action.

Games are emotional events. And social media is no place to be when your emotions are revvin’ to seven. You’ll argue about things that don’t necessitate argument. You’ll allow a run call on third-and-one in the first quarter to enrage you, not understanding it’s setting up a beautifully-designed, play-action screen in the fourth, two hours later. You’ll end up making ridiculous (and wrong) proclamations that become featured by @OldTakesExposed or some feed like that.

In-game commentary is commentary without perspective. Commentary without perspective is often, if not exclusively, useless.

(2) Admit what you don’t know…

…because you don’t know a lot.

I have watched all-but-one Chicago Bears game since 2001.

I watch more than 100 NFL games a season. Way more. Not a point of pride. Just a fact.

A lot of games I watch multiple times. Often with All-22 tape. Sometimes in slow motion. Because I wake up at 4 AM.

And I have no idea what constitutes good guard play. Sure, I can see it when Kyle Long pancakes a guy or pulls outside and makes an important block downfield. But down-for-down I don’t know the assignments and am completely incapable of evaluating overall performance. That doesn’t just go for guards. It goes for safeties too. And a lot of linebacker stuff. And interior DL. And a majority of folks on specials.

I don’t know. And you don’t either. Admitting that fact is comforting.

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Cordarrelle Patterson, WR/RB/KR

• The Bears needed someone to be their kick returner. Yes, the position has been devalued in recent years but no team was worse returning the kickoff in 2018 than the Bears. They were THIRTEEN yards worse than the league’s best kickoff return average. That’s astronomical.
• Patterson is a toy on offense. He’ll run some jet sweeps. He’s run some deep stuff. He can even spell the tailbacks. He’s the kind of player that presents match-up problems for the opposing defensive coordinator.
• This is a player you add when you think you’re close to winning a title. This is a “final piece” type move. This is a move designed to get a big third down in a division game in December.

Buster Skrine, CB

• From Adam Jahns on Twitter: “Matt Nagy in October on nickel back Buster Skrine, who is now expected to be signed: “He’s one of the better nickels in this league, if not the best. I mean, he’s good. He’s a good nickel in there.”
• Skrine commits penalties because – like Prince Amukamara – he plays with his hands. But having watched a ton of Jets football (every one of their games) many of Skrine’s penalties are committed when he’s asked to cover for too long. The Jets had no pass rush for two years. It happened a lot. It won’t in Chicago.
• His greatest value in a Chuck Pagano defense might be his ability to get to the quarterback from the slot.

Mike Davis, RB

• He’s not Taquan Mizzell

A Note on This Site Moving Forward

Many of you have noticed that the family of DBB has grown substantially in recent times. There are many reasons for this but primary among them is this: these guys are good. Andrew’s fiery columns change the tone around here. Wood’s data-driven analysis is not only unique to this blog but unique to the entirety of the Bears-writing landscape. And now Bill Zimmerman, a professional in the sports radio business, is going to provide expert podcasts.

But I’m not going anywhere, folks. Because when the fans of the Chicago Bears are gearing up for a huge division tilt late in the season, SOMEONE has to provide a silly limerick at the top of their game preview.

Tweet of the Week

A Message from Alex Trebek: pic.twitter.com/LbxcIyeTCF

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) March 6, 2019

Video of the Week

This might be my favorite Trebek sequence in the history of Jeopardy. And I’ve watched more hours of Jeopardy than any other TV program by a wide margin. (It’s football, so watch it.)

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Bill speaks with Jim Miller on:

• Mitch Trubisky’s development and what he should work on for next season.
• Jordan Howard’s struggles and if he’ll be moved.
• Review of the NFL Combine with some draft names to watch for the Bears at running back and in the secondary.
• Preview of NFL free agency and what the Bears should do.  Kyler Murray vs Josh Rosen vs Dwayne Haskins…who would he take?
• Plus, Bill’s thoughts on Amos, Callahan, the running game and all.

Bill Zimmerman is going to be DBB’s podcast guy moving forward through 2019. I’ll still have the occasional conversation with Adam Jahns (and record them) and force Reverend Dave’s bullshit upon you. But ultimately, I’m going back to writing and editing and letting a broadcast professional handle the broadcasting.

Bill is the Executive Producer of Mad Dog Radio at SiriusXM. And he’s good at this. Here is his excellent work from Super Bowl week with Mitch Trubisky, Akiem Hicks, Allen Robinson and Trey Burton.

(And the logo on the podcast will be changing moving forward.)