👋 Good morning!
Is this a safe space?
It’s getting tougher and tougher to watch Justin Fields every week.
Going up against the 8-2 New England Patriots in primetime last night felt like cruel and unusual punishment, considering Fields was essentially benched a few weeks ago and only kept the role due to injury.
All right. I got it out of my system. We’ve moved on.
Blitzed.
The Bears haven’t won multiple road divisional games in the same season since 2020. If they want to break that streak in Green Bay later this season, they’ll need to find a way to win in Minnesota this Sunday.
The Blitz: Through ten weeks, no team is blitzing more than the Minnesota Vikings at 50.0 percent. The next closest team is the Kansas City Chiefs with a 40.0 percent blitz rate.
Yet in Week 1, when the Vikings came back in the fourth quarter to steal a win at Soldier Field, defensive coordinator Brian Flores only dialed up extra rushers 34.9 percent of the time. Bears QB Caleb Williams was sacked twice.
Last season, the Vikings only blitzed Williams on 28.1 percent of his dropbacks, below their season average of a 46.4 percent blitz rate. He was sacked five times in two games.
Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said Thursday: “(Flores) is game to game as far as what he’s going to show you. They've done a great job of generating pressure, just as a defensive front. And so every game is a new one when you’re going against them. I think that the first week we played against them, it’s different than what we’re going to get this week. We’re a different team, they’re a different team.”
Relationship Advice: Through two weeks, things have gone smoothly for the Bears and CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Despite hiccups and unpleasant rumblings from his past stops, Bears DC Dennis Allen, who was Gardner-Johnson’s first DC in the NFL, had no issue vouching for the veteran defensive back when the Bears were seeking secondary help.
Dennis Allen on his relationship with C.J. Gardner-Johnson: “I've been with him and my experience with him was really positive. We felt like it would be a good fit. He's come in and been exactly what we thought he would be and been a good addition for us.”
Allen is right. And Gardner-Johnson is thriving with the Bears, picking up three sacks and 15 tackles in two games.
Allen on why it’s working with Gardner-Johnson in Chicago: “I think there’s a trust level on both sides. I know exactly what we’re getting in the player and I think it’s positive and I think he understands how we’re going to operate and how we’re going to do things and really can appreciate that.
“I think really as with every relationship that anybody’s ever in, it starts with building trust, and then from there it goes with communication and having open dialogue in terms of what’s expected in all different situations, and I think he trusts what we’re asking him to do and what we’re telling him to do is the right thing to do.”
So, what can we expect from the Bears on Sunday? They received a lot of good news with Thursday’s injury report.
DE Dominique Robinson should be good to go on Sunday after missing the last two games with a knee injury sustained on the opening kickoff against the Ravens.
CB Tyrique Stevenson and RB D’Andre Swift were both upgraded to full participants on Thursday. WRs DJ Moore and Rome Odunze were limited on Thursday, but when Moore was asked after practice if he’d play this weekend, he gave an emphatic, “Duh.”
LB T.J. Edwards is still making his way back from hand surgery and the same hamstring issue that’s bothered him all season.
The big concern for Sunday is S Jaquan Brisker, who’s dealing with a back ailment. Brisker landed awkwardly last Sunday when breaking up a fourth down pass to the end zone. He finished the game, but has not practiced this week.
It’s A Celebration! Heading to the United Center on Saturday for Blackhawks-Maple Leafs? Don’t forget it’s also the first Centennial Celebration Night of the season.
Doors to the United Center atrium will open at 3:30 p.m. for a three-exhibit showcase featuring relics and memorabilia of Blackhawks “Originals.” There will also be a Q&A in the atrium before game time, plus a special ceremony emceed by former Blackhawks broadcaster Pat Foley on the ice.
The first 8,000 arriving fans to the stadium will also receive a Tony Esposito bobblehead.
The Future Is Nearer: White Sox general manager Chris Getz doesn’t see the club’s reluctance to dish out long-term contracts in free agency this winter as a negative. Instead, it’s a sign of better things on the horizon.
Getz told reporters in Las Vegas during GM meetings: “We’ve got some young players in the minor leagues that are getting closer to the big leagues. The obvious ones were out in the Arizona Fall League, who are still playing. Braden Montgomery has had a tremendous fall league. Sam Antonacci has been outstanding. Hagen Smith has done really well. Those guys are getting closer and closer. They’ll get in the fold next year at some point. We’ll figure out the timing on that.”
Ice Cold: MLS owners voted to approve a plan to change the league’s schedule from spring-to-fall to fall-to-spring beginning in 2027.
Remember, the Fire just won approval from the city of Chicago to build a new open-air stadium on the south branch of the Chicago River.
P-C-A, U-S-A: Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong will suit up for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic next spring. The WBC begins in March, with Team USA a part of Pool B alongside Brazil, Great Britain, Italy and Mexico. They’ll play their group stage games in Houston.
Why include a tweet from Mario about a high school quarterback in Minnesota? Because that high school quarterback was also a first-round pick of the Blackhawks just five months ago.
🐻 Hoge & Jahns
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Talk to you next week!
– P.N.
