A lot seemingly going on in the land of the Bears. Let’s take a look at some of it.
Kyle Fuller, Transitioned
There was much debate this off-season about the best approach to Fuller, a player with one of the most tumultuously bizarre starts to an NFL career many can remember. He’s been at turns terrific and terrible, including missing an entire season for injury reasons the organization did not believe were valid.
Ryan Pace had to answer a simple question: did Fuller’s 2017 performance convince him the corner was worthy of top corner money? Applying the transition tag answers that question with a definitive NO. The Bears like Fuller. But if they valued him as a top corner, there were plenty of deals struck at the position last off-season to set the market.
The Bears will now see how the marketplace values Fuller. And they’ll know that if they want him on their 2018 roster, it is fully in their control.
Three Thoughts on the Draft
The official email account of DBB receives more action in the lead-up to the draft than at any other time. And thankfully there are now people like Data and Andrew writing here because my god do I find the whole draft process to be a colossal bore. Here are three general thoughts.
(1) Unless a team has designs on one specific player (Bears with Trubisky, Falcons with Julio…etc.) they almost ALWAYS want to trade back. GMs and scouting departments live for this shit. The more times they can get on the clock, the more opportunities they have to pad their resumes. (So stop emailing me and asking me if the Bears want to trade back.)
(2) Ryan Pace has made three first-round picks. Kevin White, a freak athlete who can’t stay on the field. Leonard Floyd, a freak athlete who struggles to stay on the field. Mitch Trubisky, quarterback of the future. But there’s more pressure on this off-season for Pace than any previous one. Don’t be surprised if his approach veers more conservative on draft weekend.
(3) This quarterback class is weak. There will be an inevitable first-round run on them but is that run going to be in the top ten? Some folks I have spoken to in the league do not believe so.
#JahnsSoWhite
From AJ After Dark’s piece from the Combine on Kevin White:
Meanwhile, the Bears still are trying to figure out what to expect from White. Receiver is a priority for the organization in free agency and the draft, but the plan is to give White one more chance after serious injuries limited him to only five games in three seasons.
“Kevin is a guy you see who hasn’t had a lot of games these past few years,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said. “We understand that, but for me, that’s the challenge as a head coach.
‘‘You love to see those kinds of situations. You don’t make any promises that anything’s going to happen. But you see a kid like that, you know his road and where he’s at, and I look at that as a personal challenge to get him to a place where we want to get him.”
Ka’Raun is predicting that White will “shock the world” much like he did three years ago at the combine.
“He’s still humble, hungry and wants to prove everybody wrong,” he said. “A lot of people are saying he’s a bust, he’s glass, he’s this. But he [doesn’t] let all that get to his head. He’s still working every day. Rehabbing. He’ll bounce back.”
The Bears will expect nothing from Kevin White in 2018. But they are going to give him every opportunity to make an impact on this organization.
Q Brothers. Sweetness.
Tweet of the Week
Best story I heard from NFL combine: A small group of former Browns coaches held a fired Browns coaches party at a local restaurant in Indianapolis.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 7, 2018
LINKS!
- Feel like watching video of Adam Hoge training for the NFL Combine? Yeah, me neither. But that won’t keep me from sharing it with you.
- Chicago community colleges are facing an epidemic of students having to choose between purchasing school materials or purchasing food. So the schools are taking it upon themselves to feed the kids. A great read from the Daily Herald.
- Many in the NFL media are pushing the Pro Football Hall of Fame for a travel award. Folks, I’ve been there. It sucks. Sometimes folks in the media just lose their minds over this shit. Is there any human being who has been to both Lambeau Field and the HoF in Canton and doesn’t think the former is the far more impressive experience? Same goes for Soldier Field, The Big House and the first bar toilet where Pat Summerall first pissed his pants. And that’s just football!
- Shared by Data on Twitter, here’s a somewhat comprehensive breakdown of potential Bears free agent target Albert Wilson from Arrowhead Pride.
- William Wade was a musical theatre composer who paid the rent by playing piano at showtune bars in NYC. He was also my friend. This is a touching tribute from TampaBay.com.
