Me, in the famed Himalaya Bunker, off the fourth fairway at Royal St. George’s. This week The Open returns to the southern coast of England. (Picture was taken for effect. I split the fairway.)
Football is getting closer. But there’s still relatively-little happening in the NFL for a few weeks. So here are some more links.
- If you’re interested in golf, this is one of your favorite weeks. The Open is on early morning, and over by early afternoon. If you don’t know about the greatness of Royal St. George’s, here’s the Golf Channel hole-by-hole guide. If you’re looking to gamble on the tournament, take a Top 20 shot on Lucas Herbert. The Australian is coming off two top 20s in the states, a win in Ireland and top ten in Scotland. You can’t find better form (sans Rahm) heading into this tournament.
- Matt Nagy is selling a “time is now” narrative when it comes to his offense: “I think what we’ve put together — Ryan Pace has done such an amazing job of building the last three years — this roster that we have, we have a lot of depth,” Nagy said told Kenneth Davis on the Under Center Podcast. “And so now to be able to have the time to put together, we feel like we’re going to have a great opportunity offensively to to do what we need to do. The time is now, we know that, and we’re looking forward to it. You can’t live in the past. And that’s not what we’re going to do. I refuse to allow that to happen. This is a new season, and so we got a fresh start. So let’s see what we can do with it.” (I get the urgency but…is the time really now for his offense? Can he really make that argument for any game Andy Dalton starts?)
- The Bears are doing their part to help local bars and restaurants still struggling to rebound from the pandemic. “It’s been just over a month since Chicago’s bars and restaurants fully reopened after more than a year of pandemic restrictions, but the road to economic recovery remains long and daunting for many in the hospitality industry. With football season approaching, the Chicago Bears are offering a select few restaurants promotional partnerships and marketing opportunities…Applications are live.”
- The Bears are giving former-Michigan Wolverine TE Jake Butt another crack at an NFL career. Butt was one of my favorite players in his draft class. The ability is there. But he suffered one of the worst (and unnecessary) injuries at the end of his college career and he’s been battling in the years since. Can he make this Bears roster? Kmet and Graham are locks. JP Holtz and Jesper Horsted have shown roster versatility. Butt will need a strong summer.
- ACTUAL BEAR NEWS. A tiny Yorkie chased a bear up a tree. And there’s video!
- Jay Cutler is opening up about the impact concussions have had on his brain. Cutler believes he’s had about a dozen concussions in his football life and I’ve never spoken to a player – on or off the record – who think they’ve had fewer than six. (Most believe they reach that number before even reaching the NFL.) Jay is one of the more articulate NFL alumni. He’d be a brilliant advocate on the subject.
- Yet another piece in the Tribune about Allen Robinson. Has any contract in Bears history received this much attention? Am I the only one who doesn’t care if the Bears extend him? If the Bears got the Fields pick right, they won’t need high-priced wide receivers. That’s what the elite quarterbacks grant you, especially in their rookie deals: freedom to spend elsewhere.
Happy reading!
