I was incredibly disappointed this morning to find out Aaron Donald ran a spectacular .40 time. It means teams will stop ignoring him and he may not be available at #14 – where the Bears should sprint to the podium to take him.
I promised to re-post some of the better comments to the previous approach. I’m doing that today. W
We start, because why not, with gpldan channeling his inner Mamet for a dose of well-timed dramatic comedy in reaction to the recent news that Shea McClellin is moving to linebacker:
Fans: He’d make a good linebacker
Bears: He’s NOT A LINEBACKER
Fans: He’s not a very good DE
Bears: He needs to get better but he will
Fans: Ok, he sucks
Bears: He doesn’t suck
Fans: Alex Brown blames him for all the containment issues
Bears: Football is a team sport
Fans: Ok, but maybe he could take Urlacher’s spot
Bears: He’s NOT A LINEBACKER
Bears: Ok, well maybe we’ll look at things, and he could be a Sam.
Fans: He’d be better at that
Bears: Shut up
Bears: Ok, he’s a Sam
Fans: He’s a bust, that’s what he is.
I’m not ready to jump on the bust bandwagon just yet (Bust Bandwagon, by the way, is my favorite porn western.) But the time is rapidly approaching. Here are some more fan responses.
Chris Wesserling at NFL.com listed his top twenty-five NFL free agents for this off-season. Here is that list, with all of the offensive players removed:
2. Greg Hardy, Carolina Panthers defensive end
3. Brian Orakpo, Washington Redskins linebacker
4. Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills safety
5. T.J. Ward, Cleveland Browns safety
6. Alterraun Verner, Tennessee Titans cornerback
8. Michael Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end
9. Lamarr Houston, Oakland Raiders defensive end
10. Brent Grimes, Miami Dolphins cornerback
12. Vontae Davis, Indianapolis Colts cornerback
13. Linval Joseph, New York Giants defensive tackle
14. Jason Hatcher, Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle
16. Aqib Talib, New England Patriots cornerback
17. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Denver Broncos cornerback
20. Michael Bennett, Seattle Seahawks defensive end
21. B.J. Raji, Green Bay Packers defensive tackle
22. Sam Shields, Green Bay Packers cornerback
23. Walter Thurmond, Seattle Seahawks cornerback
24. Donald Butler, San Diego Chargers linebacker
25. Randy Starks, Miami Dolphins defensive tackle
Today we are bringing back the Open Debates of yesteryear. Put yourselves in Phil Emery’s shoes. How would you approach this list? Would you target anyone specifically? Would you stay away from anyone specifically?
My answer…?
I decided to find out what I could about Austen Lane and ended up down a YouTube rabbit hole. He’s a fun guy with a fun story and he’s very, very easy to root for.
He wrote an exquisite column for Peter King at MMQB, detailing what it’s like to be cut by an NFL team. (You can read the entire piece by CLICKING HERE.) Here is a snippet of that column:
Full disclosure: DaBearsBlog is not my only job.
I started my theatre career in New York City as the Assistant Artistic Director of a now-defunct organization called Musical Theatre Works. I was subsequently part of the team that launched the inaugural New York Musical Theatre Festival (“NYMF”) in the city and parlayed that gig into the role of Associate General Manager of the Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway. (I was historically awful at the latter.) All the while I wrote. Plays. Musicals. Poetry. Everything. In 2005 I no longer depended on administrative-type roles to support my writing career. (That lasted a few years. Then it didn’t. Then it did again!)
Why do I tell you this? Because when it comes to homosexual exposure, I am uniquely qualified as a straight man. Most people might have a few folks they know who might be gay. Everyone I work with is gay. So let’s destroy a few myths and clarify a few things when it comes to Michael Sam’s prospective locker room reception in the NFL.
Michael Sam coming out as gay prior to the NFL Combine and NFL Draft is a rare moment of human courage that deserves to be celebrated. If you don’t believe Sam’s decision will impact his draft status, you’re living on Mars. A large contingent of individuals inside NFL locker rooms – many of whom are greatly influenced by religious beliefs – deplore homosexuality. Teams will avoid drafting Sam to avoid the “drama” associated with his presence in the locker room. The young man does not have an easy road but heroism is rarely easy.
Each weekday afternoon, at 5:00 PM EST, the NFL Network airs something. I hesitate to call this something a television program because, you know, The Twilight Zone was a television program. All in the Family was a television program. CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite was a television program.
NFL Fantasy Live is not just sixty minutes of daily recorded garbage. It is also a symbol of the shield’s greatest hypocrisy: embracing the eh, we’re fine with it gambling of fantasy football while using their legal infantry to thwart the sorry, can’t have it gambling of point spreads, over/unders and the type of wagering that greatly helped build the NFL into the athletic superpower its become.
I began to write this column a few months ago but stalled due to my nagging believe that nobody wants to read another column thrashing Roger Goodell and the NFL ownership group holding the strings of Uncle Roger, their transparently prevaricating marionette. Then the thirty million dollar a year phony spoke on that bastion of sports journalism known as CNBC. From ProFootballTalk:
While addressing the league’s aversion to all forms of gambling, Goodell was asked about fantasy football.
“Fantasy’s a different issue for us,” Goodell said. “We see families getting together. It’s not about wagering. They’re competing against one another. And it’s a fun forum for our fans to engage in the game.”
Fantasy football: bringing families together since Roger Goodell said so.
There are no Bears but an argument can be made that the two most deserving teams are appearing in this year’s Super Bowl. As always, you can follow my commentary on the contest by checking out my Twitter feed on the right rail. You can also go to Twitter, join and follow me by CLICKING HERE.
Administrative Note: The longish piece I’ve been working on will debut next week, after the Super Bowl. It is about the NFL, gambling and their hypocritical approach to “fantasy sports”.
Before we bother with silly football analysis, here is the…
Currently working on a longer form piece that I am hoping to have on the site by the end of this week. In the meantime, enjoy some Peanut video.
